Gospel  Doctrine 

Sermons  and  Writings 

President  Joseph  F.  Smith 


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GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 


SELECTIONS  FROM 

THE  SERMONS  AND  WRITINGS 

OF 

JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

Sixth  President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints 


THE  DESERET  NEWS 

SALT  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH 

1919 


Copyright,  1919,  by 
HEBER   J.    GRANT, 

Trustee-in-Trust    for    the    Church    of    Jesus 

Christ   of   Latter-day   Saints 

All    Rights    Reserved 


PREFACE 

President  Joseph  F.  Smith  was  so  long  in  the  public 
service  of  the  Church  that  his  published  sermons  and  writ- 
ings would  fill  many  volumes.  The  difficult  problem  of  the 
compilers  of  this  volume  has  been  to  make  a  collection  of 
extracts. that  would  do  full  justice  to  the  man  and  that,  at 
the  same  time,  could  be  contained  in  a  volume  of 'moderate 
size.  Every  reader  who  knows  Church  literature  will  note 
the  shortcomings  of  the  work ;  and  none  more  than  the  com- 
pilers. However,  incomplete  as  it  may  be,  this  collection  is 
well  worth  while,  for  it  contains  a  wealth  of  gospel  wisdom, 
to  instruct,  comfort,  and  inspire  the  Saints. 

The  literature  of  the  Church  has  been  carefully  and 
systematically  searched  to  discover  all  of  President  Smith's 
public  writings  and  sermons.  Those  of  a  historical  nature 
have  not  been  used  in  this  collection,  as  they  may  well  be 
made  into  another  volume. 

The  compilers  give  their  thanks  to  the  many  who,  with 
hearts  full  of  love  for  President  Smith,  have  helped  in  the 
work. 

The  work  has  reaffirmed  to  us  that  prophets,  speaking 
for  God,  are  with  us. 

THE  COMPILERS. 


I  o 

INTRODUCTION 

President  Joseph  F.  Smith  incidentally  stated  on  one 
occasion  that  when  he  should  pass  away,  unlike  many  of  his 
brethren,  he  would  leave  no  written  work,  by  which  he 
might  be  remembered.  It  was  his  modest  way  of  viewing 
his  own  ministry  and  literary  labors,  for  President  Smith 
would  live  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  even  if  he  had  said 
nothing  for  the  printed  page;  but  on  the  contrary,  it  was 
discovered  that  there  are  volumes  in  print,  though  at  that 
time  it  had  not  been  gathered  and  was  therefore  not  so 
wrell  known. 

One  of  the  compilers  of  this  volume,  Dr.  John  A. 
Widtsoe,  listening  to  his  remark,  thought  to  himself,  "cer- 
tainly it  cannot  be  true  that  he  has  left  no  written  work." 
He  then  decided  to  look  into  his  published  writings  and  ser- 
mons, conceived  the  idea  of  making  extracts  from  them  and 
arranging  these  extracts  by  subjects  and  in  chapters,  in  the 
form  of  a  book.  The  result  is  this  splendid  volume  now 
presented  to  the  public  under  the  title  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE. 

Doctor  John  A.  Widtsoe  interested  his  brother,  Prof. 
Osborne  J.  P.  Widtsoe,  also  Albert  E.  Bowen,  Doctor  F.  S. 
Harris,  and  Joseph  Quinney,  in  the  work  of  compiling  and 
classifying,  from  the  voluminous  writings  and  sermons  of 
President  Smith,  such  extracts  as  would  bear  upon  the  sub- 
jects chosen  for  consideration — subjects  covering  a  wide 
range  in  gospel  doctrine  and  philosophy,  as  taught  by  the 
Latter-day  Saints.  Lorenzo  N.  Stohl  geneiously  paid  the 
expenses  of  the  work. 

Without  price,  and  as  a  matter  of  love  for  the  work  in 
hand,  these  brethren  proceeded  with  the  compilation,  had 
four  typewritten  copies  prepared,  nicely  bound  and  titled, 
and  were  privileged,  sometime  before  the  death  of  the  Pres- 


vi  INTRODUCTION 

ident,  to  offer  him  the  first  typewritten  copy  of  the  work, 
with  their  love  and  gratitude  for  his  life,  his  example,  and 
his  inspired  teachings,  as  well  as  for  his  gentle  kindness  and 
constant  helpfulness  to  each  of  them. 

Needless  to  say,  the  presentation  and  the  work  were 
gladly  accepted  and  gave  President  Smith  great  delight. 

The  Committee  on  Study  for  the  Priesthood  Quorums, 
being  apprised  by  the  compilers  of  the  work,  conceived  the 
idea,  under  the  initiative  of  Elder  David  O.  McKay  of  the 
Council  of  the  Twelve,  of  making  it  a  text  book  for  the 
Priesthood.  The  volume  is  now  presented  to  the  Melchiz- 
edek  Priesthood  Quorums  of  the  Church  for  their  study  and 
consideration.  To  accompany  it  is  "A  GUIDE"  for  the  direc- 
tion of  teachers  and  students,  and  adopted  for  convenience  in 
reference  and  study. 

The  sermons  and  writings  of  President  Joseph  F.  Smith 
teach,  in  wisdom  and  moderation,  practically  every  essential 
doctrine  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  concerning  the  present  life 
and  the  life  hereafter.  Xot  only  that,  but  they  abound  in 
helpful  counsel  and  advice  on  everyday  practices  in  right 
living,  stated  in  simple  and  persuasive  language.  President 
Smith's  sermons  and  writings  breathe  the  true  spirit  of  the 
Gospel,  are  sound  as  gold  in  tenet  and  precept,  and  express 
the  will  of  the  Master  in  every  word.  Gathered,  classified, 
arranged,  and  printed  as  in  this  volume,  they  constitute  a 
compendium  of  the  doctrine  and  teachings  of  the  Church 
that  we  believe  will  stand  as  a  safe  guide  for  its  members  for 
generations  to  come. 

In  presenting  this  compilation  to  the  public,  we  are  con- 
fident that  every  reader  will  be  fully  repaid  in  its  perusal, 
containing,  as  it  does,  rich  and  vital  selections  from  the  say- 
ings, teachings  and  sermons  of  one  of  the  foremost  prophets 
of  the  Lord  in  the  Dispensation  of  the  Fulness  of  Times. 

COMMITTEE  ON  COURSES  OF  STUDY  FOR  THE  PRIESTHOOD. 
SALT  LAKE  CITY,  MAY,  1919. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I 
Truth,  the  Foundation 

Our  Hope  Founded  on  Truth — The  Gospel  Founded  in 
Truth — Truth,  the  Foundation — Man  Saved  by  Truth — 
Gospel  Truth  Cannot  be  Superseded — Man's  Greatest 
Achievement — Truth  and  Righteousness  Will  Prevail — 
Reality  of  the  Faith  of  the  Saints — Meaning  of  Science — 
All  Truth  From  God— The  Saints  May  Know  the  Truth 
— How  Truth  May  be  Known — How  Man  Lays  an  Im- 
perishable Foundation  of  Truth — Reward  of  All  Honest 
People — The  Gospel  is  Simple — Our  Knowledge  is  Lim- 
ited— Blessings  for  the  Love  of  Truth 1 

CHAPTER  II 
The  Eternal  Nature  of  the  Church,  the  Priesthood,  and  Man 

Eternal  Nature  of  Plan  of  Salvation — Gospel  Principles  are 
Eternal — Pre-existing  States — Spirit  Memories — The  Im- 
mortality of  Man — Man  Eternally  Responsible — Our  Inde- 
structible, Immortal  Identity — No  New  Principles  in  the 
Gospel — Fountain  of  Truth — Eternity  of  the  Spirit  of  man 
—Purposes  of  Almighty  Unchangeable 13 

CHAPTER  III 
Revelation 

Value  of  the  Spirit  of  Revelation — The  Spirit  of  Inspiration 
— The  Spirit  of  Revelation  Enjoyed  by  All — New  Revela- 
tion— When  to  Expect  New  Revelation — How  the  Lord 
Reveals  His  Purposes  Concerning  the  Church — Modern 
Revelation  is  Necessary — Theory  and  Divine  Revelation 
—Revelation  and  Legal  Evidence — Proper  Channels  for 
Revelation — The  Doctrine  and  Covenants — How  to  Read 
the  Bible — Persecution  Follows  Revelation 42 

CHAPTER  IV 
Free  Agency 

The  Latter-day  Saints  a  Free  People — The  Use  of  Freedom 
and  Human  Judgment — Latter-day  Saints  Should  Exercise 
Free  Agency — How  to  Obtain  Blessings  of  God 58 

CHAPTER  V 
God  and  Man 

God  has  Directed  His  Latter-day  Work — A  Personal  Knowl- 
edge of  God — God  Speaks  to  the  Honest  in  Heart — God 


viii  CONTENTS 

Constantly  Mindful  of  us — God's  Will  to  Exalt  Man — 
God's  Right  to  Rule  in  the  World — The  Lesson  in  Natural 
Calamities — Extent  of  God's  Power — Beware  of  Limiting 
God — Misfortune  and  Evil  Not  Attributable  to  the  Will  of 
God — God's  Warfare — We  are  in  God's  Image — God's 
Rest — Importance  of  Being  Under  the  Influence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit — Holy  Ghost,  Holy  Spirit,  Comforter — God 
Inspires  Man  to  Know  and  to  Do — Trust  in  God — I  Know 
that  My  Redeemer  Lives — Our  Personal  Responsibility 
— The  Church  a  Democratic  Institution — How  to  Secure 
God's  blessings — Jesus  is  the  Son — Jehovah,  the  First- 
born— Nothing  Temporal  with  God — -The  Important  Con- 
sideration    64 

CHAPTER  VI 
The  Purpose  and  the  Mission  of  the  Church 

The  Kingdom  of  God  Denned — "Mormonism"  Denned — The 
Mission  of  the  Church — The  Plan  of  Life  Restored — Our 
Mission  is  to  Save — The  Gospel  Message — We  are  as 
Leaven — Man  Insignificant  Compared  to  Cause — Where  the 
Gospel  Spirit  Leads — The  Fruits  of  True  Religion — Lat- 
ter-day Saints  Possess  the  Spirit  of  Salvation — May  Israel 
Flourish— The  Work  of  the  Lord  Will  Grow— The  King- 
dom of  God  to  Continue — Zion  Established  to  Remain — 
The  Progress  of  God's  Work  Cannot  be  Stopped — Divin- 
ity of  the  Gospel — The  Gospel  All  Comprehensive — Let 
Your  Light  Shine — No  Cause  for  Worry — The  Gospel  a 
Shield  from  Terror — The  Gospel  Trumpet — What  Church 
Leaders  Advocate — Our  Message  one  of  Love — Whence? 
Whither? — Latter-day  Saints  are  Law- Abiding 87 

CHAPTER  VII 
The  First  Principles  of  the   Gospel 

How  the  Sinner  May  be  Cleansed — Fallacy  of  Death-Bed 
Repentance — The  Change  that  Comes  with  Repentance 
and  Baptism — The  Necessity  of  Baptism — When  to  Bap- 
tize Children — Through  Atonement  Sins  are  "Washed  away 
— Conditions  for  Baptism — The  First  Principles  of  the 
Gospel  116 

CHAPTER  VIII 
The  Church  and  the  Man 

The  Church  in  Advance  of  Its  Members — The  Gospel  the 
Most  Important  Thing— Personal  Advancement  is  Help  to 
the  Church — Covenants  of  the  Latter-day  Saints— A  Priv- 
ilege to  be  Associated  with  the  Church — Worth  of  a 
Standing  in  the  Church — Importance  of  Having  Names  on 
Church  Records— Secret  Organizations — Secret  Societies 
— Gossip — We  Want  to  be  Known  as  We  are — Treatment 


CONTENTS  ix 


of  Those  Who  Will  Not  Obey  the  Law  of  the  Church — 
Latter-day  Saints  Must  be  Thinkers  and  Workers — The 
Identity  of  the  Church  Unchanged — No  Classes  or  Nation- 
alities in  the  Church — No  Neutrals  in  the  Church — Don't 
Have  Religious  Hobbies — Wealth  Does  Not  Bring  Church 
Favors — The  Gospel  Causes  Disturbance — "Having  Done 
All,  Stand" — Not  Naturally  Religious — Strive  to  be  as 
Broad  as  the  Gospel — Search  and  Ye  shall  Find — The 
Spirit  of  Religion — The  Meaning  of  Success — What  is  to 
Become  of  Such  as  Me? — Rest  for  the  Peaceable  Followers 
of  Christ — Harmony — Character,  Mettle,  and  Mission  of 
the  Latter-day  Saints 13, 

CHAPTER  IX 
Priesthood 

God  is  at  the  Helm — Distinction  Between  Keys  of  the 
Priesthood  and  Priesthood — Conferring  the  Priesthood — 
An  Authoritative  Declaration — The  Church  Not  Man- 
made — What  is  the  Priesthood? — The  Priesthood — Defini- 
tion, Purpose  and  Power — Mission  of  the  Priesthood — 
What  are  the  Keys  of  the  Priesthood? — Sanctity  of  the 
Ordinances  of  the  Priesthood — On  Church  Government — 
A  Blessing  and  an  Explanation  of  the  Priesthood — The 
Privilege  of  the  Priesthood  to  Bless — The  Priesthood 
Greater  than  Any  of  its  Offices — Necessity  of  Organiza- 
tion— Acceptance  of  the  Priesthood  a  Serious  matter- 
How  Authority  Should  be  Administered — Authority  Gives 
Enduring  Power — Ministry  Should  Know  its  Duties  and 
the  Use  of  Authority — How  Officers  in  the  Church  are 
Chosen — A  Word  to  Bishops — Jurisdiction  of  Quorums  of 
Priesthood — Jurisdiction  in  Stakes  and  Wards — Duties  of 
Those  Engaged  in  the  Ministry — The  Purpose  and  the 
Duty  of  the  Church:  Qualities  of  Leaders — Leaders  Must 
be  Courageous — Duties  of  Officers  of  the  Church — Truth 
Will  Unite  Us— Words  to  Church  Officers — Officers  to 
Set  the  Example — Duty  of  the  Holy  Priesthood — How  to 
Vote  on  Church  Propositions — Order  of  Voting  for  Of- 
ficers of  the  Church — Officers  Dependent  on  Voice  of 
People— Nearly  All  Male  Members  Hold  the  Priesthood; 
Responsibility — Many  hold  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood — 
Priesthood  Quorums'  Responsibilities — What  is  Priest- 
hood?— Where  and  How  Counsel  Should  be  Sought — 
Parents  Should  be  Consulted — Proper  use  of  Titles  of  the 
Preisthood — All  Officers  of  the  Priesthood  Necessary  and 
Should  be  Respected — Checks  Upon  Church  Members — 
The  Priesthood  Should  Know  Section  107  of  the  Doctrine 
and  Covenants — Who  is  Fit  to  Preside? — Obligations  of 
the  Priesthood — How  Honor  for  Those  Who  Bear  the 
Priesthood  is  Begotten — Priesthood  Membership  Rolls — 
All  Should  Exercise  Their  Authority — The  Leaders  in 
Israel — A  Testimony  of  Joseph  Smith  and  His  Successors 


x  CONTENTS 

— Goodness  of  the  Leaders  of  the  Church — Divine  Mis- 
sions of  Presidents  of  the  Church— The  Presidents  of  the 
Church  Have  Been  Inspired — When  to  Organize  the  First 
Presidency— First  Presidency  Not  Necessarily  Apostles— 
The  Priesthood  and  Its  Offices — Authority  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Church — Relation  of  Members  of  First  Presi- 
dency— Duties  of  Apostles — Testimony  of  the  Apostles — 
The  Presiding  Bishopric — When  to  Submit  Questions  to 
the  General  Authorities — No  Need  to  Point  Out  Defects 
of  Church  Leaders — Help  the  General  Authorities — Tem- 
poral Support  of  General  Authorities — A  Blessing  Upon 
Stake  Presidencies  and  Other  Officers — Counsel  to  Stake 
Presidents  and  Bishops  —  Duties  of  Stake  Presidents — 
Duty  of  High  Councils — Duties  of  Patriarchs — Duties  of 
High  Priests — Duties  of  High  Priests'  Quorums — Duty  of 
High  Priests — Purpose  and  Duties  of  Seventies — Duty  of 
Seventies — Duties  of  Seventies — Seventies'  Quorums  to  be 
Replenished  from  Elders'  Quorums — Elders  to  Proclaim 
Gospel — Duties  of  Elders — Authority  of  the  Bishops  and 
Other  Presiding  Officers — Duties  of  Bishops — Bishops  and 
Lesser  Priesthood  Should  be  Active — Duties  of  the  Lesser 
Priesthood — Lesser  Priesthood — The  Work  of  the  -Bish- 
opric— Dignity  of  Teachers'  Calling — Value  of  Teachers' 
Work — The  Restoration  of  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood — 
Tribute  to  Heber  C.  Kimball — Tribute  to  Erastus  Snow 
— Purpose  of  Visits  of  Church  Leaders 168 

CHAPTER  X 
Spiritual  Gifts 

The  Gift  of  Tongues — The  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper 
— Order  of  Administering  to  the  Sick — The  Use  of  a 
Testimony— Purpose  and  Practice  of  Testimony  Bearing 
— The  Temporal  and  the  Spiritual  Not  Separate — Spiritual 
and  Temporal  Salvation — The  Gospel  Designed  for  Tem- 
poral Benefits,  Also — The  Spirit  Needs  Food 251 

CHAPTER  XI 
Obedience 

Obedience  an  Eternal  Principle — How  to  Rise  Above  the 
Weakness  of  Mortality — Obedience  to  Church  Ordinances 
Indispensable — Obedience  Brings  Light  and  Freedom — 
Blessings  from  Obedience 263 

CHAPTER  XII 
Prayer 

Pray  Every  Day — Pray  In  Wisdom — Keep  the  Spirit  of 
Prayer— True  Prayer — How  to  Pray — An  Address  on 
Prayer — Practical  Prayer  and  Healing — Pray  for  the  Au- 
thorities— Blessings  Follow  Prayers — Correct  Our  Neg- 
lects .  .  273 


CONTEXTS  xi 

CHAPTER  XIII 
Tithing;  the  Poor;  Industry 

Why  the  Law  of  Tithing  was  Instituted — Essential  Nature 
of  the  Law  of  Tithing— The  Law  of  Tithing  a  Test— The 
Law  of  Tithing,  the  Law  of  Revenue — Tithing — The 
Widow  and  Her  Tithing — The  Widow  and  Tithing — 
Who  Receive  Church  Help  Should  be  Tithe  Payers— Use 
of  Tithing — Commercialism  and  Tithing — Tithing  Used 
Carefully  and  Full  Accounts  Kept — Books  Open  to  Tithe- 
Payers — We  Should  Sympathize  with  the  Unfortunate — 
Charity  to  be  Accepted  Only  When  Necessary — Cease  to 
Waste  Time;  Cease  to  be  Idle — Gospel  Blessings  Ob- 
tained by  Labor — Idlers  Have  No  Place  in  Zion — A  Mes- 
sage of  the  Latter-day  Saints  on  Behalf  of  the  Poor 282 

,      CHAPTER  XIV 
Temperance;  the  Sabbath 

Man  Should  Be  Master  of  His  Appetites — Moderation — 
Temperance — How  to  Teach  Temperance — Use  of  To- 
bacco and  Strong  Drinks — Do  Not  Smoke — The  Saloon — 
Defeat  the  Liquor  Interests — Vitality  and  Patent  Med- 
icines— Stamp  Out  Profanity  and  Vulgarity — Saturday's 
Wrork: — Purpose  of  the  Sabbath — The  Meaning  of  Sunday 
— What  Shall  \Ye  Do  on  the  Sabbath  Day? — Necessity  of 
Sunday  Worship — Be  Wise  in  All  You  Do — The  Nature 
and  Purpose  of  Fasting — Keeping  the  Sabbath  Holy — 
Do  Not  Rob  the  Sabbath  Day— Man  Must  Be  Master  of 
Himself  300 

CHAPTER  XV 
Many  Duties  of  Man 

The  Object  of  Man's  Existence — We  Deal  with  the  Lord — 
Necessity  for  All  to  Accomplish  their  Missions — God 
Honors  Those  Who  Honor  Him — Qualifications  of  Lat- 
ter-day Saints — Perfection  in  Our  Sphere — Let  Every  Man 
Live  to  Bear  Closest  Inspection — Need  of  Individual  Re- 
sponsibility— Conquer  Ourselves  First — Let  Us  Conquer 
Ourselves — Charity  the  Greatest  Principle — Look  for 
Good;  Not  for  Evil — Estimate  Men  by  their  Noble  Deeds 
— Let  Us  Sustain  One  Another — Do  Not  Bear  Malice 
Against  One  Another — Honor  Yourselves  and  Your 
Neighbors — Avoid  Courts — Let  Us  Live  Our  Religion — 
Let  Us  Be  True  to  the  Faith — Church  Duties  are  Para- 
mount— We  Should  Study  the  Gospel — Encourage  Sing- 
ing— Cultivate  Singing — Be  Free  From  Debt — What  the 
Lord  Requires  of  His  Saints — Cultivate  Gratitude — Back- 
biting— Do  Not  Inflict  Wounds,  But  Heal  Wounds — Use 
Good  Language — Do  Not  Destroy  Life  Wantonly — Com- 


xii  CONTENTS 

mencement  Address— Our  Main  Purpose  of  Life — How  to 
Love  Your  Neighbor — Question  of  Church  Leaders — The 
Sin  of  Ingratitude 312 

CHAPTER  XVI 
Marriage,  the  Home  and  the  Family 

Necessity  of  Marriage — Marriage,  God-Ordained  and  Sanc- 
tioned— Righteousness  and  Necessity  of  Marriage — Male 
and  Female  Enter  Heaven — Marriage  to  Replenish  the 
Earth — Eternal  Marriage — Eternity  of  the  Family  Organi- 
zation— Importance  of  Marriage  Within  the  Church — No 
Marriage  in  Heaven  —  Plural  Marriage  Forbidden  — 
Further  Statement — Marriage  and  Large  Families  Desir- 
able— Be  True  to  Your  Wives  and  Children — Respect  the 
Rights  of  Others — Mutual  Treatment  of  Husband,  Wife 
and  Children — We  Should  Be  Examples  to  Our  Families 
—The  Truest  Greatness — Parents  Responsible  for  their 
Children — The  Father,  the  Presiding  Authority  of  the 
Family — Duties  of  Fathers — Motherhood  the  Foundation 
of  Home  and  Nation — Husband's  Success  Dependent 
Upon  Wife's  Fitness — Duty  of  Parents — Watch  Your 
Children — Duty  to  Teach  Children — What  to  Teach  Your 
Children — What  Children  Should  Be  Taught — Training  of 
Children  at  Home  and  in  Sunday  School — Teach  Children 
the  Gospel— Teach  Children  the  Story  of  Jesus'  Death- 
Wise  Giving  to  Children— Do  Not  Place  Children  Under 
Pledges — Children  Have  Equal  Rights  with  Elders  in  the 
House  of  the  Lord — Don't  Mortgage  Your  Houses — No 
Substitute  for  the  Home — Worship  in  the  Home — The 
Basis  of  a  True  Home — The  Ideal  Home — Foundation  of 
All  Good  in  Home — Secure  Homes — Own  Your  Homes — 
Do  Not  Mortgage  Your  Homes — Evils  of  Mortgaging — 
Our  First  Duty  to  Our  Household — Unchastity,  a  Dom- 
inant Evil — Degrees  of  Sexual  Sin — Purity — Three  Threat- 
ening Dangers — The  Gospel  the  Greatest  Thing — Duty  of 
Husband  to  Wife — Wives  and  Husbands  in  Eternity — Im- 
portance of  Filial  Affection — Family  Government  by  Love 
—The  Home  and  the  Child 341 

CHAPTER  XVII 
Amusements  and  Fashions 

Youth  Should  Look  Forward — Proper  Amusements — Proper 
Character  of  Amusements — Social  Duties — The  Danger  of 
Pleasure  Hunting — Harmful  Effects  of  Bad  Books — 
Proper  Reading — Raffling  and  Gambling — Games  of 
Chance — The  Evil  of  -Cards — Wasting  Time  with  Cards — 
Card  Playing — Stop  Card  Playing — Pernicious  Nature  of 
Card  Playing — Cards  in  the  Home — Evil  Fashions — Im- 
proper Fashions- — Exclusive  Clubs  Among  Church  Mem- 
bers— A  Lesson  for  the  Boys 400 


CONTENTS  xiii 

CHAPTER  XVIII 
Love  Your  Enemies 

We  Are  Not  Discouraged — I  Forgive  All  Men — We  Leave 
Our  Enemies  in  God's  Hands — Leave  Results  in  God's 
Hands — Our  Debt  to  Our  Enemies — A  Prayer  for  Our  En- 
emies— The  Golden  Rule — Why  the  World  Does  Not  Love 
Us — Love  One  Another — Keep  Aloof  from  the  Wicked — 
The  Enemies  to  Fear 421 

CHAPTER  XIX 
Education  and  Industrial  Pursuits 

We  Are  Ever  Learning — Address  on  Ignorance — The  Value 
of  Practical  Education — Practical  Education  Advocated — 
Boys  Should  Be  Taught  the  Arts  of  Industry — Manual 
Training  and  Agriculture — Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts 
in  Church  Schools — We  Should  Study  Agriculture — Dig- 
nity of  Agriculture — Encourage  Forestry — Young  Women 
Should  Have  Practical  Preparation  for  Life — Object  of 
Church  Schools — Value  of  Church  Schools — Purpose  of 
Church  Schools — The  Church  Ample  for  All  Necessary 
Organizations — Develop  Faculties  in  Church  Organiza- 
tions— The  Foundation  of  Prosperity — The  Object  of  Co- 
operation    427 

CHAPTER  XX 
Missionaries 

How  Missionaries  Are  Called — Requirements  of  Prospective 
Missionaries — The  Kind  of  Men  Wanted  for  Missionaries 
— Necessary  Qualifications  of  Missionaries — Further  Qual- 
ifications of  Missionaries — What  Missionaries  Should 
Teach — What  and  How  to  Teach — Not  All  Men  Ready  to 
Accept  the  Gospel — Our  People  Generous  to  Missionaries 
— Advice  to  Missionaries — Missionaries  and  the  Word  of 
Wisdom — Caution  to  Missionaries — Health  of  Missionaries 
To  Be  Guarded — Missionaries  In  111  Health — Care  of  Re- 
turned Missionaries — Work  for  Returned  Missionaries — 
Duty  of  a  Person  Called  on  a  Mission 444 

CHAPTER  XXI 
False  Teachings 

The  Devil's  Knowledge — The  Enemy  of  Truth  Always  Ar- 
rayed Against  This  Work— Why  the  Truth  is  Hated- 
Only  Those  Who  Deny  the  Faith  Contend — Beware  of 
False  Teachers — Where  to  Expect  False  Doctrines — 
Knowledge  of  Sin  Unnecessary — Retreat  from  Evil — The 
Law  of  Recompense — Sympathy  with  Criminals — The 
Crime  of  Witchcraft  and  Other  Superstitions — Supersti- 
tious Practices — The  Messiah  Craze — One  Mighty  and 
Strong  464 


xiv  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XXII 
Auxiliary  Organizations 

Definition  of  Auxiliary  Organizations — Place  of  Auxiliary 
Organizations  in  the  Church — Relation  Between  Author- 
ities of  Ward  and  Auxiliary  Organizations— Purpose  and 
Duties  of  Relief  Society — Objects  of  the  Relief  Society — 
Duties  and  Purpose  of  the  Relief  Society — The  Relief  So- 
ciety— Object  of  Sunday  Schools  and  Church  Schools — 
The  Teacher  Essential  in  Sunday  School  Work — The  First 
Qualification  of  a  Sunday  School  Teacher — The  Principle 
of  Sabbath  School  Teaching— The  Stake  Sunday  School 
Board— The  Importance  of  M.  I.  A.  Work— The  Field  of 
the  Young  Men's  Mutual  Improvement  Associations — 
Purpose  of  Mutual  Improvement  Associations — The  Foun- 
tain of  Truth — Purpose  and  Duties  of  Religion  Classes — 
Teachers  Must  Believe  in  Jesus  Christ 479 

CHAPTER  XXIII 
Political  Government 

The  Ten  Comandments — The  Laws  of  God  and  the  Laws  of 
the  Land — No  Nationalities  in  the  Church — The  Latter- 
day  Saints  Loyal  to  the  United  States — Loyalty  to  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States — Proud  of  the  United 
States — Origin  and  Destiny  of  the  United  States:  Loyalty 
of  the  Latter-day  Saints — Saints  to  Serve  God — Guided  by 
God  to  the  West — True  Patriotism — Importance  of  Na- 
tional Patriotism — The  Church  Not  Partisan — The  Church 
Loyal — Latter-day  Saints  Are  Good  Citizens — Church  Not 
Responsible  for  Political  Parties— The  Church  Not  In  Pol- 
itics— Shun  the  Spirit  of  Mob  Violence — The  Danger  of 
Mobs — The  Basis  of  Labor  Unions — Cause  of  War — Atti- 
tude Towards  War — We  Want  Peace — When  Peace  Shall 
Come— Peace  on  Earth,  Good  Will  to  Men— The  Key  to 
Peace — God  Strives  with  Warring  Nations  —  Conduct  of 
the  Boys  in  the  Army — Message  to  the  Boys  in  War 
Service 503 

CHAPTER  XXIV 
Eternal  Life  and  Salvation 

Eternal  Life  and  Salvation — Close  Relation  of  the  Next  Life 
—Condition  in  a  Future  Life— Spiritual  Death— The  Un- 
pardonable Sin— The  Resurrection — Nature  of  Ministering 
Angels---Redemption  Beyond  the  Grave — Nature  of  Death 
—The  Resurrection — On  the  Resurrection— Resurrection 
and  Final  Judgment — Condition  of  Children  in  Heaven — 
Status  of  Children  in  the  Resurrection  —  Address  at 
Funeral  Services  of  Mary  A.  Freeze— The  Resurrection- 
Work  for  the  Dead — Temple  Ordinances  Unchanged- 
Care  and  Need  of  Temples — Preaching  the  Gospel  in  the 


CONTENTS 


Spirit  World — Vision  of  the  Redemption  of  the  Dead — 
Moderation  in  Burial  Displays — Who  Cannot  be  Reached 
by  the  Gospel — Principle  of  Baptism  for  the  Dead 538 

CHAPTER  XXV 
Joseph  Smith,  the  Prophet 

The  Reality  of  Joseph's  Vision — Joseph  Smith's  Name  Will 
Never  Perish — The  Prophet  Joseph  Smith — Prediction  of 
Joseph  Smith  Fulfilled — Joseph  Smith  the  Boy — Joseph 
Smith  a  Restorer — Plural  Wives  of  Joseph  Smith,  the 
Prophet — What  Does  the  Martyrdom  of  Joseph  and 
Hyrum  Teach  Us — Divine  Authority  of  Joseph  Smith  and 
His  Sucessors — God's  Guiding  Hand  Seen  in  Church 
History 604 

CHAPTER  XXVI 
Personal  Testimonies  and  Blessings 

A  Testimony — This  is  God's  Work,  a  Testimony — A  Testi- 
mony— The  Pledge  of  My  Life — A  Blessing — A  Testimony 
— I  Know  that  My  Redeemer  Lives — Testimony 635 

President  Toseph  F.  Smith 

An  Appreciation — Reminiscences — A  Biographical  Sketch — 
Last  of  the  Old  School  of  Veteran  Leaders.  .  .  644 


GOSPEL   DOCTRINE 


CHAPTER    I 

Truth,  the  Foundation 

OUR  HOPE  FOUNDED  ON  TRUTH.  Our  hope  of  salva- 
tion must  be  founded  upon  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and 
nothing  but  the  truth,  for  we  cannot  build  upon  error  and 
ascend  into  the  courts  of  eternal  truth  and  enjoy  the  glory 
and  exaltation  of  the  kingdom  of  our  God.  That  cannot  be 
done.— Oct.  C.  R.*  1917,  p.  3. 

THE  GOSPEL  FOUNDED  IN  TRUTH.  I  have  no  fears  in 
my  heart,  or  mind,  that  that  which  is  called  "Mormonism" — 
which  is  indeed  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ — will  not  bear 
the  scrutiny  of  science  and  the  researches  of  the  learned 
and  literate  into  all  truth.  The  gospel  of  Jesus  is  founded 
in  truth.  Every  principle  of  it  is  susceptible  of  demonstra- 
tion beyond  any  just  reason  for  contradiction.  The  Lord 
is  doing  his  work  and  will  do  it,  and  no  power  can  stay  it. 
-Oct.  C.  R.,  1908,  p.  127. 

TRUTH,  THE  FOUNDATION.  We  believe  in  righteous- 
ness. We  believe  in  all  truth,  no  matter  to  what  subject  it 
may  refer.  No  sect  or  religious  denomination  in  the  world 
possesses  a  single  principle  of  truth  that  we  do  not  accept 
or  that  we  will  reject.  We  are  willing  to  receive  all  truth, 
from  whatever  source  it  may  come;  for  truth  will  stand, 
truth  will  endure.  No  man's  faith,  no  man's  religion,  no 
religious  organization  in  all  the  world,  can  ever  rise  above 
the  truth.  The  truth  must  be  at  the  foundation  of  religion, 
or  it  is  in  vain  and  it  will  fail  of  its  purpose.  I  say  that  the 
truth  is  at  the  foundation,  at  the  bottom  and  top  of,  and  it 

^October  Conference  Report, 
2 


2  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

entirely  permeates  this  great  work  of  the  Lord  that  was  es- 
tablished through  the  instrumentality  of  Joseph  Smith,  the 
prophet.  God  is  with  it;  it  is  his  work,  not  that  of  man; 
and  it  will  succeed  no  matter  what  the  opposition  may  be. 
We  look  now  at  the  opposition  arrayed  against  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  and  smile,  so  to  speak, 
with  feelings  of  confidence,  doubly  assured  by  the  experi- 
ence of  the  past,  in  comparison  to  the  feelings  that  pos- 
sessed the  souls  of  our  fathers  and  mothers  in  the  early  days 
of  the  Church,  when  they  were  but  a  handful,  with  all  the 
world  arrayed  against  them ;  just  a  few  poor,  homeless  peo- 
ple, driven  from  their  possessions,  cast  out  from  the  commu- 
nities in  which  they  sought  to  establish  themselves  and  build 
their  homes.  When  I  think  of  our  people,  thrust  into  the 
wilderness,  wandering  and  seeking  for  a  place  where  the 
soles  of  their  feet  might  rest,  and  see,  then,  the  world 
arrayed  against  them,  and  think  of  the  little  chance  that 
appeared  before  them,  for  success  and  the  accomplishment 
of  their  purposes,  I  wonder  that  more  of  them  did  not  trem- 
ble and  falter  than  did ;  but  some  of  them  were  true  in  the 
midst  of  it  all,  even  unto  death.  If  it  had  been  necessary 
for  them  to  have  been  martyred  for  the  truth,  willingly  would 
.they  have  given  their  lives,  as  they  gave  all  else  that  they 
possessed  in  the  world,  for  the  knowledge  they  had  of  the 
divinity  of  the  work  in  which  they  were  engaged.  Are  we 
as  faithful  today?  Are  we  as  devout  as  our  fathers  were? 
Oh,  my  God,  help  me  to  be  as  true  as  they  were !  Help  me 
to  stand  as  they  stood,  upon  the  pedestal  of  eternal  truth, 
that  no  power  on  earth,  or  in  hell,  may  remove  me  from  that 
foundation.  This  is  my  prayer  to  the  Lord  for  my  own 
sake,  and  it  is  my  prayer  to  him  for  every  Latter-day 
Saint  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  world. — 
Apr.  C.  R.*  1909,  p.  7. 

MAN  SAVED  BY  TRUTH.    We  have  no  ill  feelings  in  our 

*April  Conference  Report. 


TRUTH,  THE  FOUNDATION  3 

hearts  toward  any  living  creature.  We  forgive  those  who 
trespass  against  us.  Those  who  have  spoken  evil  of  us,  and 
who  have  misrepresented  us  before  the  world,  we  have  no 
malice  in  our  hearts  towards  them.  We  say,  let  God  judge 
between  them  and  us;  let  him  recompense  them  for  their 
work.  We  will  not  raise  a  hand  against  them ;  but  we  will 
extend  the  hand  of  fellowship  and  friendship  to  them,  if 
they  will  repent  of  their  sins  and  come  unto  the  Lord  and 
live.  No  matter  how  malicious  they  may  have  been,  or  how 
foolish  they  may  have  acted,  if  they  will  repent  of  it  we 
will  receive  them  with  open  arms  and  we  will  do  all  we  can 
to  help  them  to  save  themselves.  I  cannot  save  you;  you 
cannot  save  me ;  we  cannot  save  each  other,  only  so  far  as 
we  can  persuade  each  other  to  receive  the  truth,  by  teach- 
ing it.  When  a  man  receives  the  truth  he  will  be  saved  by 
it.  He  will  not  be  saved  merely  because  some  one  talks  to 
him,  but  because  he  received  and  acted  upon  it.  The  gospel 
is  consistent,  it  is  common  sense,  reason,  revelation;  it  is 
almighty  truth  from  the  heavens  made  known  to  man. — 
Apr.  C.  R.,  1902,  p.  86. 

GOSPEL  TRUTH  CAN  NOT  BE  SUPERSEDED.  There  is 
no  science,  nor  philosophy,  that  can  supersede  God  Al- 
mighty's truth.  The  Lord  'has  said,  "My  word  is  truth," 
and  indeed  it  is ;  and  I  believe  that  the  Latter-day  Saints 
know  enough  about  the  word  of  God  to  know  it  is  his  word 
when  they  see  it  and  shun  whatever  is  not;  and  that  they 
will  abide  by  the  word  of  God,  for  it  is  truth.  As  the  Savior 
said,  "If  ye  continue  in  my  word,  then  are  ye  my  disci- 
ples indeed;  ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall 
make  you  free."  I  believe  that  the  Latter-day  Saints,  and 
especially  the  leading  men  in  Israel,  have  sufficient  knowl- 
edge and  understanding  of  the  principles  of  the  gospel  that 
they  know  the  truth,  and  they  are  made  free  by  its  pos- 
session— free  from  sin,  free  from  error,  free  from  darkness, 
from  the  traditions  of  men,  from  vain  philosophy,  and  from 


4  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

the  untried,  unproven  theories  of  scientists,  that  need  dem- 
onstration beyond  the  possibility  of  a  doubt.  We  have  had 
science  and  philosophy  through  all  the  ages,  and  they  have 
undergone  change  after  change.  Scarcely  a  century  has 
passed  but  they  have  introduced  new  theories  of  science  and 
of  philosophy  that  supersede  the  old  traditions  and  the  old 
faith  and  the  old  doctrines  entertained  by  philosophers  and 
scientists.  These  things  may  undergo  continuous  changes, 
but  the  word  of  God  is  always  true,  is  always  right.  I  want 
to  say  to  you  that  the  principles  of  the  gospel  are  always 
true — the  principles  of  faith  in  God,  of  repentance  from  sin, 
of  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins  by  authority  of  God,  and 
the  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost ; 
these  principles  are  always  true  and  are  always  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  salvation  of  the  children  of  men,  no  matter 
who  they  are  or  where  they  are.  These  principles  are  al- 
ways true,  and  you  cannot  get  away  from  them.  No  other 
name,  under  heaven,  is  given,  but  that  of  Jesus  Christ,  by 
which  you  can  be  saved  or  exalted  in  the  Kingdom  of  God. 
No  man  can  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  except  he  be 
born  again  of  the  water  and  of  the  Spirit.  These  principles 
are  indispensable,  for  God  has  declared  them.  Not  only  has 
Christ  declared  them  by  his  own  voice,  and  his  disciples  from 
generation  to  generation,  in  the  olden  time,  but  in  these  lat- 
ter days,  they  have  taken  up  the  same  testimony  and  declared 
these  things  to  the  world.  They  are  true  today  as  they  were 
true  then,  and  we  must  obey  these  things. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1911, 
pp.  7,  8. 

MAN'S  GREATEST  ACHIEVEMENT.  The  greatest  achieve- 
ment mankind  can  make  in  this  world  is  to  familiarize  them- 
selves with  divine  truth,  so  thoroughly,  so  perfectly,  that 
the  example  or  conduct  of  no  creature  living  in  the  world 
can  ever  turn  them  away  from  the  knowledge  that  they  have 
obtained.  "In  the  footsteps  of  the  Master,"  the  greatest  of 
all  the  teachers  that  this  world  has  ever  received,  is  the 


TRUTH,  THE  FOUNDATION  5 

safest  and  the  surest  course  to  pursue  that  I  know  of  in  the 
world.  We  can  absorb  the  precepts,  the  doctrines  and  the 
divine  word  of  the  Master,  without  any  fear  that  the  exem- 
plar will  fail  of  carrying  out  and  executing  his  own  pre- 
cepts and  fulfiling  his  own  doctrines  and  requirements. 

From  my  boyhood  I  have  desired  to  learn  the  princi- 
ples of  the  gospel  in  such  a  way  and  to  such  an  extent  that 
it  would  matter  not  to  me  who  might  fall  from  the  truth, 
who  might  make  a  mistake,  who  might  fail  to  continue  to 
follow  the  example  of  the  Master,  my  foundation  would  be 
sure  and  certain  in  the  truths  that  I  have  learned,  though 
all  men  else  go  astray  and  fail  ,of  obedience  to  them.  We 
all  have  heard  of  people  who  have  pinned  their  faith  to  the 
arm  of  flesh,  who  have  felt  that  their  belief,  their  confidence 
and  their  love  for  the  principles  of  the  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ  would  be  shattered,  if  their  ideals- — those  possibly  who 
first  taught  them  the  principles  of  the  gospel — should  make 
a  mistake,  falter  or  fall. 

I  know  of  but  One  in  all  the  world  who  can  be  taken 
as  the  first  and  only  perfect  standard  for  us  to  follow,  and 
he  is  the  Only  Begotten  Son  of  God.  I  would  feel  sorry 
indeed,  if  I  had  a  friend  or  an  associate  in  this  life  who 
would  turn  away  from  the  plan  of  life  and  salvation  because 
I  might  stumble  or  make  a  failure  of  my  life.  I  want  no  man 
to  lean  upon  me  nor  to  follow  me,  only  so  far  as  I  am  a  con- 
sistent follower  in  the  footsteps  of  the  Master. — Juvenile 
Instructor,  1915,  Vol.  50,  pp.  738,  739. 

TRUTH  AND  RIGHTEOUSNESS  WILL  PREVAIL.  I  do  not 
expect  any  victory,  any  triumph,  anything  to  boast  of,  to 
come  to  the  Latter-day  Saints,  except  upon  the  principles  of 
righteousness  and  of  truth.  Truth  and  righteousness  will 
prevail  and  endure.  If  we  will  only  continue  to  build  upon 
the  principles  of  righteousness,  of  truth,  of  justice,  and  of 
honor,  I  say  to  you  there  is  no  power  beneath  the  celestial 
kingdom  that  can  stay  the  progress  of  this  work.  And  as 


6  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

this  work  shall  progress,  and  shall  gain  power  and  influence 
among  men,  so  the  powers  of  the  adversary  and  of  darkness 
will  dimmish  before  the  advancement  and  growth  of  this 
kingdom,  until  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  not  of  men,  will 
triumph.—  Apr.  C.  R.t  1914,  p.  4. 

REALITY  OF  THE  FAITH  OF  THE  SAINTS.  There  is  no 
doubt  in  the  minds  of  Latter-day  Saints  in  relation  to  the 
existence  and  personage  of  the  Lord  God  Almighty,  who  is 
the  Father  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ.  There  is 
no  doubt  in  the  minds  of  Latter-day  Saints  that  Jesus  is  the 
Son  of  God,  being  begotten  of  the  Father  in  the  flesh.  And 
there  is  no  Latter-day  Saint  in  all  the  world  but  knows  as 
truly  and  as  fully  as  God  can  impart  that  knowledge  to  the 
soul  of  man,  that  he  shall  live  again  after  death,  and  that 
men  and  women  shall  be  associated  together  as  God  has 
ordained,  and  they  have  been  united  by  his  power,  to  dwell 
together  forever  and  forever;  and  they  shall  know  as  they 
are  known,  they  shall  see  as  they  are  seen,  and  they  shall 
understand  as  God  understands ;  for  they  are  his  children. — • 
Apr.  C.  R.,  1907,  p.  39. 

MEANING  OF  SCIENCE.  True  science  is  that  system  of 
reasoning  which  brings  to  the  fore  the  simple,  plain  truth. 
The  Savior  of  the  world  was  pre-eminently  the  Scientist  of 
this  earth,  and  the  truths  he  uttered  1900  years  ago  have 
withstood  the  assaults  of  science  and  prejudice  and  hate. — 
Logan  Journal,  Logan,  February  6,  1912. 

ALL  TRUTH  FROM  GOD.  Let  us  sustain  the  cause  of 
Zion.  Let  no  man  speak  lightly  of  the  principles  of  the 
gospel.  Let  no  one  treat  lightly  the  ordinances  of  the  house 
of  God.  Let  no  one  hold  in  derision  the  Priesthood  that 
the  Lord  has  restored  to  the  earth,  which  is  the  authority 
that  he  has  given  unto  men.  Let  no  man  look  contemptu- 
ously upon  the  organization  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints  as  it  has  been  established  in  the  earth 
through  the  instrumentality  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith, 


TRUTH,  THE  FOUNDATION  7 

whom  the  Lord  raised  up  when  he  was  but  a  child  to  lay 
the  foundation  of  the  same.  Let  no  man  treat  these  things 
lightly  or  doubtingly ;  but  let  every  man  seek  earnestly  to 
understand  the  truth  and  teach  his  children  to  become  famil- 
iar with  those  truths  of  heaven  that  have  been  restored  to 
the  earth  in  the  latter  days.  I  believe  with  all  my  soul  in 
God  the  Father  and  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ.  I 
believe  with  all  my  might,  mind  and  strength  in  the  Savior 
of  the  world,  and  in  the  principle  of  redemption  from  death 
and  sin.  I  believe  in  the  divine  mission  of  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith.  I  believe  in  all  the  truth  that  I  know,  and  I 
believe  that  there  are  many  principles  of  eternal  truth  that 
still  lie  hidden  from  me  and  from  the  understanding  of  men, 
which  will  yet  be  revealed  by  the  power  of  God  unto  his 
faithful  servants.  I  believe  that  the  Lord  has  revealed  to 
the  children  of  men  all  that  they  know.  I  do  not  believe 
that  any  man  has  discovered  any  principle  of  science,  or  art , 
in  mechanism,  or  mathematics,  or  anything  else,  that  God 
did  not  know  before  man  did.  Man  is  indebted  to  the  Source 
of  all  intelligence  and  truth,  for  the  knowledge  that  he  pos- 
sesses ;  and  all  who  \vill  yield  obedience  to  the  promptings 
of  the  Spirit,  which  lead  to  virtue,  to  honor,  to  the  love 
of  God  and  man,  and  to  the  love  of  truth  and  that  which  is 
ennobling  and  enlarging  to  the  soul,  will  get  a  cleaner,  a 
more  expansive,  and  a  more  direct  and  conclusive  knowl- 
edge of  God's  truths  than  anyone  else  can  obtain.  I  tell  you 
this,  because  I  know  it  is  true.  The  Lord  Almighty  lives ; 
he  made  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  the  fountains  of 
water;  and  we  are  his  children,  his  offspring,  and  we  are 
not  here  by  chance.  The  Lord  designed  our  coming,  and 
the  object  of  our  being.  He  designs  that  we  shall  accom- 
plish our  mission,  to  become  conformed  to  the  likeness  and 
image  of  Jesus  Christ,  that,  like  him,  we  may  be  without 
sin  unto  salvation,  like  him  we  may  be  filled  with  pure 
intelligence,  and  like  him  we  may  be  exalted  to  the  right 


8  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

hand  of  the  Father,  to  sit  upon  thrones  and  have  dominion 
and  power  in  the  sphere  in  which  we  shall  be  called  to  act. 
I  testify  to  this  doctrine,  for  the  Lord  has  made  me  to  know 
and  feel  the  truth  of  it  from  the  crown  of  my  head  to  the 
soles  of  my  feet.  I  love  good,  honorable  men — even  men 
who  may  be  mistaken,  as  far  as  their  judgment  is  concerned, 
but  who  try  to  do  right;  I  love  them  for  the  reason  that 
they  are  my  brethren,  the  sons  of  my  Father,  and  I  would 
that  they  might  all  see  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus, 
and  accept  it,  and  receive  all  the  benefits  of  it,  in  time  and 
throughout  all  eternity.  If  the  Lord  has  revealed  to  the 
world  the  plan  *of  salvation  and  redemption  from  sin,  by 
which  men  may  be  exalted  again  into  his  presence  and  par- 
take of  eternal  life  with  him,  I  submit,  as  a  proposition 
that  cannot  be  controverted,  that  no  man  can, be  exalted 
in  the  presence  of  God  and  attain  to  a  fulness  of  glory 
ard  happiness  in  his  kingdom  and  presence,  save  and  except 
he  will  obey  the  plan  that  God  has  devised  and  revealed. — 
Apr.  C.  R.,  1902,  pp.  85,  86. 

THE  SAINTS  MAY  KNOW  THE  TRUTH.  To  the  faith- 
ful Latter-day  Saint  is  given  the  right  to  know  the  truth, 
as  God  knows  it;  and  no  power  beneath  the  celestial  king- 
dom can  lead  him  astray,  darken  his  understanding,  becloud 
his  mind,  or  dim  his  faith  or  his  knowledge  of  the  principles 
of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  can't  be  done,  for  the 
light  of  God  shines  brighter  than  the  illumination  of  a  false- 
hood and  error ;  therefore,  those  who  possess  the  light  of 
Christ,  the  spirit  of  revelation  and  the  knowledge  of  God, 
rise  above  all  these  vagaries  in  the  world ;  they  know  of 
this  doctrine,  that  it  is  of  God  and  not  of  man. — Oct.  C.  R., 
1909,  p.  9. 

How  TRUTH  MAY  BE  KNOWN.  It  is  a  wicked  and 
adulterous  generation  that  seeketh  after  a  sign.  Show  me 
Latter-day  Saints  who  have  to  feed  upon  miracles,  signs  and 
visions  in  order  to  keep  them  steadfast  in  the  Church,  and 


TRUTH,  THE  FOUNDATION  9 

I  will  show  you  members  of  the  Church  who  are  not  in  good 
standing  before  God,  and  who  are  walking  in  slippery  paths. 
It  is  not  by  marvelous  manifestations  unto  us  that  we  shall 
be  established  in  the  truth,  but  it  is  by  humility  and  faithful 
obedience  to  the  commandments  and  laws  of  God.  When 
I  as  a  boy  first  started  out  in  the  ministry,  I  would  frequently 
go  out  and  ask  the  Lord  to  show  me  some  marvelous  thing, 
in  order  that  I  might  receive  a  testimony.  But  the  Lord 
withheld  marvels  from  me,  and  showed  me  the  truth,  line 
upon  line,  precept  upon  precept,  here  a  little  and  there  a 
little,  until  he  made  me  to  know  the  truth  from  the  crown 
of  my  head  to  the  soles  of  my  feet,  and  until  doubt  and  fear 
had  been  absolutely  purged  from  me.  He  did  not  have  to 
send  an  angel  from  'the  heavens  to  do  this,  nor  did  he 
have  to  speak  with  the  trump  of  an  archangel.  By  the 
whisperings  of  the  still  small  voice  of  the  Spirit  of  the  living 
God,  he  gave  to  me  the  testimony  I  possess.  And  by  this 
principle  and  power  he  will  give  to  all  the  children  of  men 
a  knowledge  of  the  truth  that  will  stay  with  them,  and  it 
will  make  them  to  know  the  truth,  as  God  knows  it,  and  to 
do  the  will  of  the  Father  as  Christ  does  it.  And  no  amount 
of  marvelous  manifestations  will  ever  accomplish  this.  It 
is  obedience,  humility,  and  submission  to  the  requirements  of 
heaven  and  to  the  order  established  in  the  kingdom  of  God 
upon  the  earth,  that  will  establish  men  in  the  truth.  Men 
may  receive  the  visitation  of  angels ;  they  may  speak  in 
tongues ;  they  may  heal  the  sick  by  the  laying  on  of  hands ; 
they  may  have  visions  and  dreams  ;  but  except  they  are  faith- 
ful and  pure  in  heart,  they  become  an  easy  prey  to  the  adver- 
sary of  their  souls,  and  he  will  lead  them  into  darkness  and 
unbelief  more  easily  than  others — Apr.  C.R.,  1900,  pp.  40,  41. 
How  MAN  LAYS  AN  IMPERISHABLE  FOUNDATION  OF 
TRUTH.  But  the  men  and  the  women  who  are  honest  before 
God,  who  humbly  plod  along,  doing  their  duty,  paying  their 
tithing,  and  exercising  that  pure  religion  and  undefiled  before 


10  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

God  and  the  Father,  which  is  to  visit  the  fatherless  and 
the  widows  in  their  afflictions  and  to  keep  oneself  unspotted 
from  the  world,  and  who  help  look  after  the  poor ;  and  who 
honor  the  holy  Priesthood,  who  do  not  run  into  excesses, 
who  are  prayerful  in  their  families,  and  who  acknowledge 
the  Lord  in  their  hearts,  they  will  build  up  a  foundation  that 
the  gates  of  hell  cannot  prevail  against ;  and  if  the  floods 
come  and  the  storms  beat  upon  their  house,  it  shall  not  fall, 
for  it  will  be  built  upon  the  rock  of  eternal  truth.  I  pray 
that  this  vast  congregation  will  build  upon  this  imperishable 
foundation,  upon  the  principle  expressed  by  the  words  of 
Joshua,  "as  for  me  and  my  house,  we  will  serve  God,"  and 
as  also  expressed  by  Job,  "though  he  slay  me,  yet  will  I 
trust  in  him."  If  you  have  that  spirit  toward'  God  and 
his  work  in  these  latter  days,  you  will  build  steadily  and 
slowly,  it  may  be,  but  surely,  upon  a  foundation  that  will 
endure  throughout  the  countless  ages  of  eternity.  And  if 
you  do  not  get  any  great  manifestations,  you  need  not  worry 
about  it.  You  will  get  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ  in 
your  hearts,  and  you  will  know  God  and  Jesus  whom  he  has 
sent,  whom  to  know  is  life  eternal,  just  as  well  as  those  who 
receive  visions.  For  those  who  do  receive  visions,  the  devil 
will  try  to  make  them  believe  that  they  were  delusions,  and 
if  they  commit  sin,  he  will  be  sure  to  make  them  believe  it. 
God  bless  you,  is  my  prayer.  Amen. — Apr.  C.  R.}  1900,  p.  42. 
REWARD  OF  ALL  HONEST  PEOPLE.  In  some  instances 
you  will  find  examples  of  people  out  in  the  world  who  do 
not  know  as  much  as  you  do  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ, 
who  have  not  the  testimony  of  the  Spirit  in  their  hearts  as 
you  have,  of  the  divinity  of  Christ  and  of  Joseph  Smith, 
who  are  just  as  devout,  just  as  humble,  just  as  contrite  in 
spirit,  and  as  devoted  to  what  they  know,  as  some  of  us  are, 
and  they  will  be  rewarded  according  to  their  works,  every 
one  of  them,  and  will  receive  reward  far  surpassing  anything 
that  they  dream  of.— Apr.  C.  R.}  1912,  p.  8. 


TRUTH,  THE  FOUNDATION  11 

THE  GOSPEL  is  SIMPLE.  Some  subjects  are  in  them- 
selves, perhaps,  perfectly  harmless,  and  any  amount  of  dis- 
cussion over  them  would  not  be  injurious  to  the  faith  of  our 
young  people.  We  are  told,  for  example,  that  the  theory 
of  gravitation  is  at  best  a  hypothesis,  and  that  such  is  the 
atomic  theory.  These  theories  help  to  explain  certain  things 
about  nature.  Whether  they  are  ultimately  true  can  not 
make  much  difference  to  the  religious  convictions  of  our 
young  people.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are  speculations 
which  touch  the  origin  of  life  and  the  relationship  of  God 
to  his  children.  In  a  very  limited  degree  that  relationship 
has  been  defined  by  revelation,  and  until  we  receive  more 
light  upon  the  subject  we  deem  it  best  to  refrain  from  the 
discussion  of  certain  philosophical  theories  which  rather  de- 
stroy than  build  up  the  faith  of  our  young  people.  One  thing 
about  this  so-called  philosophy  of  religion  that  is  very  unde- 
sirable lies  in  the  fact  that  as  soon  as  we  convert  our  re- 
ligion into  a  system  of  philosophy,  none  but  philosophers  can 
understand,  appreciate,  or  enjoy  it.  God,  in  his  revelation 
to  man,  has  made  his  word  so  simple  that  the  humblest  of 
men,  without  especial  training,  may  enjoy  great  faith,  com- 
prehend the  teachings  of  the  gospel,  and  enjoy  undis- 
turbed their  religious  convictions.  For  that  reason  we  are 
averse  to  the  discussion  of  certain  philosophical  theories  in 
our  religious  instructions. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  46,  pp. 
208,  209,  April,  1911. 

OUR  KNOWLEDGE  is  LIMITED.  Our  methods  in  specu- 
lation and  reasoning  about  the  things  of  God  may  often  be 
harmless ;  but  if  we  depart  from  the  simplicity  of  God's 
word  into  a  spirit  of  rationalism,  we  become  the  victims  of 
vanity  which  endangers  the  true  spirit  of  worship  in  the 
human  heart.  It  is  not  easy  for  men  to  give  up  their  van- 
ities, to  overcome  their  preconceived  notions,  and  surrender 
themselves  heart  and  soul  to  the  will  of  God  which  is  always 
higher  than  their  own.  The  dangers  of  religious  specula- 


12  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

tions  are  as  great  today  as  they  were  in  the  days  of  Christ, 
and  if  we  would  avoid  these  dangers  we  must  adhere  to  the 
simplicity  of  our  religious  belief  and  practices.  When  men 
and  women  realize  they  are  getting  into  deep  water  where 
their  footing  is  insecure,  they  should  retreat;  for  they  may 
be  sure  that  the  course  they  have  been  taking  will  lead  them 
more  and  more  away  from  their  bearings  which  are  not 
always  easy  to  regain.  The  religion  of  the  heart,  the  unaf- 
fected and  simple  communion  which  we  should  hold  with 
God,  is  the  highest  safeguard  of  the  Latter-day  Saints.  It 
is  no  discredit  to  our  intelligence  or  to  our  integrity  to  say 
frankly  in  the  face  of  a  hundred  speculative  questions,  "I 
do  not  know." 

One  thing  is  certain,  and  that  is,  God  has  revealed 
enough  to  our  understanding  for  our  exaltation  and  for  our 
happiness.  Let  the  Saints,  then,  utilize  what  they  already 
have ;  be  simple  and  unaffected  in  their  religion,  both  in 
thought  and  word,  and  they  will  not  easily  lose  their  bear- 
ings and  be  subjected  to  the  vain  philosophies  of  man. — 
Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol  46,  p.  269,  May,  1911. 

BLESSINGS  FOR  THE  LOVE  OF  TRUTH.  If  you  love  the 
truth,  if  you  have  received  the  gospel  in  your  hearts,  and 
love  it,  your  intelligence  will  be  added  upon,  your  understand- 
ing of  truth  will  be  expanded,become  larger  than  in  any  other 
way.  Truth  is  the  thing,  above  all  other  things  in  the  world, 
that  makes  men  free — free  from  indolence  and  carelessness, 
free  from  the  fearful  consequences  of  neglect,  for  it  will  be  a 
fearful  consequence,  if  we  neglect  our  duty  before  the  living 
God.  If  you  will  learn  the  truth  and  walk  in  the  light  of 
truth  you  shall  be  made  free  from  the  errors  of  men  and  of 
crafts ;  you  will  be  above  suspicion  and  above  wrong-doing 
of  every  description.  God  will  approve  of  you  and  bless  you 
and  your  inheritances,  and  make  you  prosper  and  flourish 
like  a  green  bay  tree. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  XXI,  p.  102, 
December,  1917. 


CHAPTER  II 

The  Eternal  Nature  of  the  Church,  the 
Priesthood,  and  Man 

ETERNAL  NATURE  OF  PLAN  OF  SALVATION.  I  feel  this 
morning  as  I  have  felt  all  my  life,  but  I  feel  it  stronger  this 
morning,  perhaps,  than  ever  before,  that  there  is  nothing 
under  the  heavens  of  so  much  importance  to  me  or  to  the 
children  of  men  as  the  great  plan  of  life  and  salvation, 
which  was  devised  in  the  heavens  in  the  beginning,  and 
which  has  been  handed  down  from  period  to  period  through 
the  inspiration  of  holy  men  called  of  God  until  the  day  of 
the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man,  for  this  gospel  and  this  plan 
of  salvation  was  revealed  to  our  first  parents.  The  angel  of 
God  carried  to  them  the  plan  of  redemption,  and  of  salva- 
tion from  death  and  sin  that  has  been  revealed  from  time  to 
time  by  divine  authority  to  the  children  of  men,  and  it  has 
undergone  no  change.  There  was  nothing  in  it,  in  the  be- 
ginning, that  was  superfluous  or  unnecessary;  nothing  in 
it  that  could  be  dispensed  with;  it  was  a  complete  plan  de- 
vised in  the  beginning  by  the  wisdom  of  the  Father  and  the 
holy  ones  for  the  redemption  of  the  human  race  and  for 
their  salvation  and  exaltation  in  the  presence  of  God.  It  was 
taught  more  fully,  and  exemplified  more  perfectly  in  the 
being,  the  life  and  mission,  the  instruction  and  doctrine,  of 
the  Son  of  God,  than  ever  before,  unless  there  may  be  an 
exception  in  the  days  of  Enoch ;  but  through  all  the  genera- 
tions of  time,  the  same  gospel,  the  same  plan  of  life  and  sal- 
vation, the  same  ordinances,  burial  with  Christ,  remem- 
brance of  the  great  sacrifice  to  be  offered  for  the  sins  of  the 
world  and  for  man's  redemption,  have  been  handed  down 
from  time  to  time,  from  the  time  of  the  creation. — Oct.  C.  R., 
1913,  p.  2. 


14  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

GOSPEL  PRINCIPLES  ARE  ETERNAL.  Faith  in  God  is 
an  irrevocable  principle,  just  as  much  as  "thou  shalt  not 
kill;"  "thou  shalt  not  steal;"  "thou  shalt  not  commit  adul- 
tery." Repentance  of  a  sin  is  an  eternal  principle,  and  is  as 
essential  in  its  place,  and  is  as  much  an  integral  part  of  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  as :  "Thou  shalt  not  kill,"  or,  "Thou 
shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  me." 

Baptism  for  the  remission  of  sin,  by  one  having  author- 
ity, is  an  eternal  principle,  for  God  devised  it,  and  com- 
manded it,  and  Christ  himself  was  not  above  obeying  it ;  he 
had  to  obey  it  in  order  to  fulfil  the  law  of  righteousness. 

And  then  the  rites  of  the  Priesthood  of  the  Church,  as 
the  Lord  has  revealed  them,  and  the  principles  that  underlie 
the  organization  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  are  irrev- 
ocable, unchanging  and  unchangeable.  We  talk  of  the  "ever- 
lasting gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,"  which  "is  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation,"  and  these  principles  in  and  of  themselves 
are  eternal  principles,  and  will  last  while  life,  or  thought, 
or  being  lasts,'  or  immortality  endures. — Oct,  C.  R.,  1912, 

P.  11. 

PRE-EXISTING  STATES. 

Mrs.  Martha  H.  Tingey, 

President,  Y.  L.  M.  I.  A. 

DEAR  SISTER:  The  First  Presidency  have  nothing  to 
advance  'concerning  pre-existing  states  but  that  which  is 
contained  in  the  revelations  to  the  Church.  The  written 
standards  of  scripture  show  that  all  people  who  come  to  this 
earth  and  are  born  in  mortality  had  a  pre-existent,  spiritual 
personality  as  the  sons  or  daughters  of  the  Eternal  Father. 
(See  Pearl  of  Great  Price,  chap  3,  verses  5-7).  Jesus  Christ 
was  the  Firstborn.  A  spirit  born  of  God  is  an  immortal  be- 
ing. When  the  body  dies  the  spirit  does  not  die.  In  the 
resurrected  state  the  body  will  be  immortal  as  well  as  the 
spirit.  Speculations  as  to  the  career  of  Adam  before  he 


CHURCH,  PRIESTHOOD  AND  MAN         15 

came  to  the  earth  are  of  no  real  value.  We  learn  by  reve- 
lation that  he  was  Michael,  the  Archangel,  and  that  he 
stands  at  the  head  of  his  posterity  on  earth  (Doctrine  and 
Covenants,  sec.  107:53-56).  Dogmatic  assertions  do  not 
take  the  place  of  revelation,  and  we  should  be  satisfied  with 
that  which  is  accepted  as  doctrine,  and  not  discuss  matters 
that,  after  all  disputes,  are  merely  matters  of  theory. 

Your  brethren, 

JOSEPH  F.  SMITH, 
ANTHON  H.  LUND, 
CHARLES  W.  PENROSE, 

First  Presidency. 

—Young  Woman's  Journal,  Vol.  23,  pp  162,  163,  1912. 

SPIRIT  MEMORIES.  (Letter  written  to  Elder  O.  F. 
Whitney  who  was  a  missionary  in  England.)  I  heartily 
endorse  your  sentiments  respecting  congeniality  of  spirits. 
Our  knowledge  of  persons  and  things  before  we  came  here, 
combined  with  the  divinity  awakened  within  our  souls 
through  obedience  to  the  gospel,  powerfully  affects,  in  my 
opinion,  all  our  likes  and  dislikes,  and  guides  our  prefer- 
ences in  the  course  of  this  life,  provided  we  give  careful 
heed  to  the  admonitions  of  the  Spirit. 

All  those  salient  truths  which  come  home  so  forcibly  to 
the  head  and  heart  seem  but  the  awakening  of  the  mem- 
ories of  the  spirit.  Can  we  know  anything  here  that  we  did 
not  know  before  we  came  ?  Are  not  the  means  .of  knowl- 
edge in  the  first  estate  equal  to  those  of  this?  I  think  that 
the  spirit,  before  and  after  this  probation,  possesses  greater 
facilities,  aye,  manifold  greater,  for  the  acquisition  of  knowl- 
edge, than  while  manacled  and  shut  up  in  the  prison-house 
of  mortality. 

Had  we  not  known  before  we  came  the  necessity  of 
our  coming,  the  importance  of  obtaining  tabernacles,  the 
glory  to  be  achieved  in  posterity,  the  grand  object  to  be  at- 


16  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

tained  by  being  tried  and  tested — weighed  in  the  balance,  in 
the  exercise  of  the  divine  attributes,  god-like  powers  and 
free  agency  with  which  we  are  endowed;  whereby,  after 
descending  below  all  things,  Christ-like,  we  might  ascend 
above  all  things,  and  become  like  our  Father,  Mother  and 
Elder  Brother,  Almighty  and  Eternal! — we  never  would 
have  come ;  that  is,  if  we  could  have  stayed  away. 

I  believe  that  our  Savior  is  the  ever-living  example  to 
all  flesh  in  all  these  things.  He  no  doubt  possessed  a  fore- 
knowledge of  all  the  vicissitudes  through  which  he  would 
have  to  pass  in  the  mortal  tabernacle,  when  the  foundations 
of  this  earth  were  laid,  "when  the  morning  stars  sang  to- 
gether, and  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy."  When  he 
conversed  with  the  brother  of  Jared,  on  the  Mount,  in  his 
spiritual  body,  he  understood  his  mission,  and  knew  the 
work  he  had  to  do,  as  thoroughly  as  when  he  ascended  from 
the  Mount  of  Olives  before  the  wondering  gaze  of  the  Jew- 
ish disciples,  with  his  resurrected,  glorious  and  immortal 
body. 

And  yet,  to  accomplish  the  ultimatum  of  his  previous 
existence,  and  consummate  the  grand  and  glorious  object  of 
his  being,  and  the  salvation  of  his  infinite  brotherhood,  he 
had  to  come  and  take  upon  him  flesh.  He  is  our  example. 
The  works  he  did,  we  are  commanded  to  do.  We  are  en- 
joined to  follow  him,  as  he  followed  his  Head ;  that  where  he 
is,  we  may  be  also;  and  being  with  him,  may  be  like  him. 
If  Christ  knew  beforehand,  so  did  we.  But  in  coming  here, 
we  forgot  all,  that  our  agency  might  be  free  indeed,  to 
choose  good  or  evil,  that  we  might  merit  the  reward  of  our 
own  choice  and  conduct.  But  by  the  power  of  the  Spirit, 
in  the  redemption  of  Christ,  through  obedience,  we  often 
catch  a  spark  from  the  awakened  memories  of  the  immortal 
soul,  which  lights  up  our  whole  being  as  with  the  glory  of 
our  former  home. — Contributor,  Vol.  4,  pp.  114,  115,  1883. 

THE  IMMORTALITY  OF  MAN.    We  are  called  mortal  be- 


CHURCH,  PRIESTHOOD  AND  MAN         17 

ings  because  in  us  are  seeds  of  death,  but  in  reality  we  are 
immortal  beings  because  there  is  also  within  us  the  germ 
of  eternal  life.  Man  is  a  dual  being,  composed  of  the  spirit 
which  gives  life,  force,  intelligence  and  capacity  to  man,  and 
the  body  which  is  the  tenement  of  the  spirit  and  is  suited  to 
its  form,  adapted  to  its  necessities,  and  acts  in  harmony  with 
it,  and  to  its  utmost  capacity  yields  obedience  to  the  will  of 
the  spirit.  The  two  combined  constitute  the  soul.  The  body  is 
dependent  upon  the  spirit,  and  the  spirit  during  its  natural 
occupancy  of  the  body  is  subject  to  the  laws  which  apply 
to  and  govern  it  in  the  mortal  state.  In  this  natural  body 
are  the  seeds  of  weakness  and  decay,  which,  when  fully 
ripened  or  untimely  plucked  up,  in  the  language  of  scrip- 
ture, is  called  ''the  temporal  death."  The  spirit  is  also  sub- 
ject to  what  is  termed  in  the  scriptures  and  revelations  from 
God,  "spiritual  death."  The  same  as  that  which  befell  our 
first  parents,  when,  through  disobedience  and  transgression, 
they  became  subject  to  the  will  of  Satan,  and  were  thrust 
out  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord  and  became  spir- 
itually dead,  which  the  Lord  says,  "is  the  first  death, 
even  that  same  death  which  is  the  last  death, 
which  is  spiritual,  which  shall  be  pronounced  upon  the 
wicked  when  I  shall  say,  Depart,  ye  cursed !"  And  the  Lord 
further  says,  "But,  behold  I  say  unto  you,  that  I  the  Lord 
God  gave  unto  Adam  and  unto  his  seed,  that  they  should 
not  die  as  to  the  temporal  death,  until  I  the  Lord  God  should 
send  forth  angels  to  declare  unto  them  repentance  and  re- 
demption (from  the  first  death),  through  faith  on  the  name 
of  mine  Only  Begotten  Son.  And  thus  did  I,  the  Lord  God, 
appoint  unto  man  the  days  of  his  probation;  that  by  his 
natural  death  he  might  be  raised  in  immortality  unto 
eternal  life,  even  as  many  as  would  believe;  and  they  that 
believe  not,  unto  eternal  damnation,  for  they  cannot  be  re- 
deemed from  their  spiritual  fall,  because  they  repent  not." 
From  the  natural  death,  that  is  the  death  of  the  body,  and 


18  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

also  from  the  first  death,  "which  is  spiritual,"  there  is  re- 
demption through  belief  on  the  name  of  the  Only  Begotten 
Son,  in  connection  with  repentance  and  obedience  to  the 
ordinances  of  the  gospel,  declared  by  holy  angels,  for  if  one 
"believe,"  he  must  also  obey;  but  from  the  "second  death," 
even  that  same  death  which  is  the  first  death,  "which  is 
spiritual,"  and  from  which  man  may  be  redeemed  through 
faith  and  obedience,  and  which  will  again  be  pronounced 
upon  the  wicked  when  God  shall  say,  "depart,  ye  cursed," 
there  is  no  redemption,  so  far  as  light  on  this  matter  has 
been  revealed. 

It  is  written  that  "all  manner  of  sin  and  blasphemy  shall  be 
forgiven  unto  men"  who  receive  me  and  repent ;  "but  the  blas- 
phemy against  the  Holy  Ghost,  it  shall  not  be  forgiven  unto 
men."  If  men  will  not  repent  and  come  unto  Christ,  through 
the  ordinances  of  his  gospel,  they  cannot  be  redeemed  from 
their  spiritual  fall,  but  must  remain  forever  subject  to  the  will 
of  Satan  and  the  consequent  spiritual  darkness  or  death  unto 
which  our  first  parents  fell,  subjecting  all  their  posterity 
thereto,  and  from  which  none  can  be  redeemed  but  by  belief 
or  faith  on  the  name  of  the  Only  Begotten  Son  and  obe- 
dience to  the  laws  of  God.  But,  thanks  be  to  the  eternal 
Father,  through  the  merciful  provisions  of  the  gospel,  all 
mankind  will  have  the  opportunity  of  escape,  or  deliverance, 
from  this  spiritual  death,  either  in  time  or  in  eternity,  for 
not  until  they  are  freed  from  the  first  can  they  become  sub- 
ject unto  the  second  death,  still  if  they  repent  not  "they  can- 
not be  redeemed  from  their  spiritual  fall,"  and  will  continue 
subject  to  the  will  of  Satan,  the  first  spiritual  death,  so  long 
as  "they  repent  not,  and  thereby  reject  Christ  and  his  gos- 
pel ;"  but  what  of  those  who  do  believe,  repent  of  their  sins, 
obey  the  gospel,  enter  into  its  covenants,  receive  the  keys 
of  the  priesthood  and  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  by  revela- 
tion and  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  afterwards  turn 
away  wholly  from  that  light  and  knowledge  ?  They  "become 


CHURCH,  PRIESTHOOD  AND  MAN         19 

a  law  unto  themselves,"  and  "will  to  abide  in  sin;"  of  such 
it  is  written,  "whoso  breaketh  this  covenant,  after  he  hath 
received  it,  and  altogether  turneth  therefrom,  shall  not  have 
forgiveness  in  this  world  nor  in  the  world  to  come."  And 
again,  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,  concerning  all  those  who  know 
my  power,  and  have  been  made  partakers  thereof,  and 
suffered  themselves,  through  the  power  of  the  devil,  to  be 
overcome,  and  to  deny  the  truth  and  defy  my  power — they 
are  they  who  are  the  sons  of  perdition,  of  whom  I  say  that 
it  had  been  better  for  them  never  to  have  been  born,  for 
they  are  vessels  of  wrath,  doomed  to  suffer  the  wrath  of 
God,  with  the  devil  and  his  angels  in  eternity;  concerning 
whom  I  have  said  there  is  no  forgiveness  in  this  world  nor 
in  the  world  to  come,  having  denied  the  Holy  Spirit  after 
having  received  it,  and  having  denied  the  Only  Begotten  Son 
of  the  Father — having  crucified  him  unto  themselves,  and  put 
him  to  an  open  shame." — Doc.  and  Cov.  76:31-35. 

Now,  there  is  a  difference  between  this  class  and  those 
who  simply  repent  not  and  reject  the  gospel  in  the  flesh.  Of 
these  latter  it  is  written,  "they  shall  be  brought  forth  by  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead,  through  the  triumph  and  the  glory 
of  the  Lamb,"  and  "shall  be  redeemed  in  the  due  time  of  the 
Lord  after  the  sufferings  of  his  wrath."  But  of  the  others  it 
is  said,  "they  shall  not  be  redeemed,"  for  "they  are  the  only 
ones  on  whom  the  second  death  shall  have  any  power."  The 
others,  never  having  been  redeemed  from  the  first,  cannot 
be  doomed  to  the  second  death,  or  in  other  words,  cannot 
be  made  to  suffer  eternally  the  wrath  of  God,  without  hope 
of  redemption  through  repentance,  but  must  continue  to  suf- 
fer the  first  death  until  they  repent,  and  are  redeemed  there- 
from through  the  power  of  the  atonement  and  the  gospel 
of  salvation,  thereby  being  brought  to  the  possession  of  all 
the  keys  and  blessings  to  which  they  will  be  capable  of  at- 
taining or  to  which  they  may  be  entitled,  through  the  mercy, 
justice  and  power  of  the  everlasting  God;  or,  on  the  other 


20  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

hand,  forever  remain  bound  in  the  chains  of  spiritual  dark- 
ness, bondage  and  banishment  from  his  presence,  kingdom 
and  glory.  The  "temporal  death"  is  one  thing,  and  the 
"spiritual  death"  is  another  thing.  The  body  may  be  dis- 
solved and  become  extinct  as  an  organism,  although  the  ele- 
ments of  which  it  is  composed  are  indestructible  or  eternal, 
but  I  hold  it  as  self-evident  that  the  spiritual  organism  is  an 
eternal,  immortal  being,  destined  to  enjoy  eternal  happiness 
and  a  fulness  of  joy,  or  suffer  the  wrath  of  God,  and  misery 
— a  just  condemnation,  eternally.  Adam  became  spiritually 
dead,  yet  he  lived  to  endure  it  until  freed  therefrom  by  the 
power  of  the  atonement,  through  repentance,  etc.  Those 
upon  whom  the  second  death  shall  fall  will  live  to  suffer  and 
endure  it,  but  without  hope  of  redemption.  The  death  of 
the  body,  or  natural  death,  is  but  a  temporary  circumstance 
to  which  all  were  subjected  through  the  fall,  and  from  which 
all  will  be  restored  or  resurrected  by  the  power  of  God, 
through  the  atonement  of  Christ. 

Man  existed  before  he  came  to  this  earth,  and  he  will 
exist  after  he  passes  from  it;  and  will  continue  to  live 
throughout  the  countless  ages  of  eternity. 

There  are  three  classes  of  beings ;  or  rather,  man  exists 
in  three  separate  conditions,  before  and  after  his  probation 
upon  this  earth — first,  in  the  spirit  or  pre-existent  state; 
second,  in  the  disembodied  state,  the  condition  which  exists 
after  the  dissolution  of  the  body  and  spirit  until  the  resur- 
rection take  place;  and  third,  in  the  resurrected  state.  For 
instance,  some  fourteen  hundred  years  before  the  coming 
of  Christ  into  the  world  to  sojourn  in  the  flesh,  he  showed 
himself  to  the  brother  of  Jared  and  said,  "Behold  this  body, 
which  ye  now  behold,  is  the  body  of  my  spirit,  and  man  have 
I  created  after  the  body  of  my  spirit ;  and  even  as  I  appear 
unto  thee  to  be  in  the  spirit,  will  I  appear  unto  my  people 
in  the  flesh."  He  further  declared,  "Behold  I  am  he  who 


CHURCH,  PRIESTHOOD  AND  MAN        21 

was  prepared  from  the  foundation  of  the  world  to  redeem 
my  people.     Behold  I  am  Jesus  Christ." 

Here  Jesus  showed  himself  unto  this  man  in  the  spirit, 
even  after  the  manner  and  in  the  likeness  of  the  same  body, 
even  as  he  showed  himself  unto  the  Nephites — that  is,  prior 
to  his  coming  in  the  flesh.  This  I  consider  typical  of  the 
first  condition  of  all  spirits.  Again  it  is  written,  "For  Christ 
also  hath  once  suffered  for  sins,  the  just  for  the  unjust,  that 
he  might  bring  us  to  God,  being  put  to  death  in  the  flesh, 
but  quickened  by  the  Spirit:  by  which  also  he  went  and 
preached  unto  the  spirits  in  prison :  which  sometime  were 
disobedient,  when  once  the  long-suffering  of  God  waited  in 
the  days  of  Noah,  while  the  ark  was  a  preparing,  wherein 
few,  that  is,  eight  souls  were  saved  by  water,"  etc.  Thus  we 
see  that  while  the  body  of  our  Savior  slept  in  the  tomb,  he 
went  in  the  spirit,  and  preached  his  glorious  gospel  to  "the 
spirits  in  prison,"  who  were  disobedient  in  the  days  of  Noah, 
and  were  destroyed  in  the  flesh  by  the  flood.  This  was  their 
second  condition  or  state*  in  the  spirit,  awaiting  the  resurrec- 
tion of  their  bodies  which  were  slumbering  in  death.  "Mar- 
vel not  at  this :"  saith  Jesus,  "for  the  hour  is  coming,  in  the 
which  all  that  are  in  the  graves  shall  hear  his  [the  Re- 
deemer's] voice,  and  shall  come  forth ;  they  that  have  done 
good,  unto  the  resurrection  of  life ;  and  they  that  have  done 
evil,  unto  the  resurrection  of  damnation."  In  reference  to 
the  third  condition  or  state,  we  will  refer  to  the  account 
given  of  the  risen  Redeemer  before  his  ascension.  John 
tells  us  that  he  appeared  unto  his  disciples  three  times  after 
his  resurrection,  on  which  occasions  he  ate  bread,  broiled 
fish  and  honeycomb,  and  opened  the  eyes  of  their  under- 
standing, that  they  began  to  comprehend  the  Scriptures  and 
the  prophecies  concerning  Christ.  But  when  he  appeared 
unto  them  they  were  terrified  and  affrighted,  and  supposed 
that  they  had  seen  a  spirit.  And  he  said  unto  them,  "Why 


22  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

are  ye  troubled  ?  And  why  do  thoughts  arise  in  your  hearts  ? 
Behold  my  hands  and  my  feet,  that  it  is  I  myself ;  handle  me, 
and  see ;  for  a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones,  as  ye  see 
me  have."  Here  is  presented  the  true  type  of  the  resur- 
rected being.  And  after  this  manner  are  all  those  who  have 
their  resurrected  bodies,  and  there  are  many  of  these,  for  we 
are  told  in  the  scriptures  that  "the  graves  were  opened,  and 
many  bodies  of  the  Saints  which  slept  arose  and  came  out 
of  the  graves,  after  his  resurrection,  and  went  into  the  holy 
city  and  appeared  unto  many."  This  class  of  beings  dwell 
in  heaven,  or  in  the  paradise  of  the  just,  having  been  counted 
worthy  to  come  forth  in  the  first  resurrection,  even  with 
Christ,  to  dwell  with  him  and  to  be  associated  with  the  mem- 
bers of  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  Christ.  These  comprise 
the  three  conditions  or  estates  of  man  in  heaven.  Not  all, 
however,  of  the  disembodied  spirits  enjoy  the  same  privi- 
leges, exaltation  and  glory.  The  spirits  of  the  wicked,  diso- 
bedient, and  unbelieving,  are  denied  the  privileges,  joy  and 
glory  of  the  spirits  of  the  just  arfd  good.  The  bodies  of 
the  Saints  will  come  forth  in  the  first  resurrection,  and 
those  of  the  unbelieving,  etc.,  in  the  second,  or  last.  In 
other  words,  the  Saints  will  rise  first,  and  those  who  are  not 
Saints  will  not  rise  until  afterwards,  according  to  the  wis- 
dom, justice  and  mercy  of  God. 

Christ  is  the  great  example  for  all  mankind,  and  I  be- 
lieve that  mankind  were  as  much  foreordained  to  become 
like  him,  as  that  he  was  foreordained  to  be  the  Redeemer  of 
man.  "Whom  God  did  foreknow" — and  whom  did  he  not 
foreknow  ? — "he  also  did  predestinate  to  be  conformed  to  the 
image  of  his  Son,  that  he  might  be  the  firstborn  among 
many  brethren."  It  is  very  plain  that  mankind  are  very 
far  from  being  like  Christ,  as  the  world  is  today,  only  in 
form  of  person.  In  this  we  are  like  him,  or  in  the  form  of 
his  person,  as  he  is  the  express  image  of  his  Father's  person. 
We  are  therefore  in  the  form  of  God,  physically,  and  may 


CHURCH,  PRIESTHOOD  AND  MAN        23 

become  like  him  spiritually,  and  like  him  in  the  possession 
of  knowledge,  intelligence,  wisdom  and  power. 

The  grand  object  of  our  coming  to  this  earth  is  that 
we  may  become  like  Christ,  for  if  we  are  not  like  him,  we 
cannot  become  the  sons  of  God,  and  be  joint  heirs  with 
Christ. 

The  man  who  passes  through  this  probation,  and  is 
faithful,  being  redeemed  from  sin  by  the  blood  of  Christ, 
through  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel,  and  attains  to  exalta- 
tiorr  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  is  not  less  but  greater  than  the 
angels,  and  if  you  doubt  it,  read  your  Bible,  for  there  it  is 
written  that  the  Saints  shall  "judge  angels,"  and  also  they 
shall  "judge  the  world."  And  why?  Because  the  resur- 
rected, righteous  man  has  progressed  beyond  the  pre-exist- 
ent  or  disembodied  spirits,  and  has  risen  above  them,  hav- 
ing both  spirit  and  body  as  Christ  has,  having  gained  the 
victory  over  death  and  the  grave,  and  having  power  over  sin 
and  Satan ;  in  fact,  having  passed  from  the  condition  of  the 
angels  to  that  of  a  God.  He  possesses  keys  of  power,  do- 
minion and  glory  that  the  angel  does  not  possess — and  can- 
not possess  without  gaining  them  in  the  same  way  that  he 
gained  them,  which  will  be  by  passing  through  the  same 
ordeals  and  proving  equally  faithful.  It  was  so  ordained 
when  the  morning  stars  sang  together,  before  the  founda- 
tions of  this  earth  were  laid.  Man  in  his  pre-existent  con- 
dition is  not  perfect,  neither  is  he  in  the  disembodied  estate. 
There  is  no  perfect  estate  but  that  of  the  risen  Redeemer, 
which  is  God's  estate,  and  no  man  can  become  perfect  ex- 
cept he  become  like  the  Gods.  And  what  are  they  like?  I 
have  shown  what  Christ  is  like,  and  he  is  like  his  Father, 
but  I  will  refer  to  an  undoubted  authority  to  this  people, 
on  this  point:  "The  Father  has  a  body  of  flesh  and  bones 
as  tangible  as  man's ;  the  Son  also :  but  the  Holy  Ghost  has 
not  a  body  of  flesh  and  bones,  but  is  a  personage  of  Spirit. 
Were  it  not  so,  the  Holy  Ghost  could  not  dwell  in  us."  (Doc. 


24  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

and  Cov.  Sec.  130.)  There  is  not  time  to  refer  to  the  many 
scriptural  passages  which  might  be  cited  in  proof  of  these 
important  facts,  enough  already  have  been  referred  to,  to 
place  the  matter  beyond  a  doubt. 

It  is  believed  by  many  in  the  Christian  world,  that  our 
Savior  finished  his  mission  when  he  expired  upon  the  cross, 
and  his  last  words  on  the  cross,  as  given  by  the  Apostle 
John — "it  is  finished,"  are  frequently  quoted  as  evidence  of 
the  fact ;  but  this  is  an  error.  Christ  did  not  complete  his 
mission  upon  the  earth  until  after  his  body  was  raised  from 
the  dead.  Had  his  mission  been  completed  when  he  died, 
his  disciples  would  have  continued  fishermen,  carpenters, 
etc.,  for  they  returned  to  their  several  occupations  soon  after 
the  crucifixion,  not  yet  knowing  the  force  of  their  holy  call- 
ing, nor  understanding  the  mission  assigned  them  by  their 
Master,  whose  name  would  soon  have  been  buried  with  his 
body  in  the  grave  to  perish  and  be  forgotten,  "for  as  yet  they 
knew  not  the  scripture,  that  he  must  rise  again  from  the 
dead."  But  the  most  glorious  part  of  his  mission  had  to  be 
accomplished  after  the  crucifixion  and  death  of  his  body. 
When  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  some  of  the  disciples 
went  to  the  tomb  with  certain  preparations  for  the  body  of 
their  Lord,  they  were  met  there  by  two  men  clothed  in 
"shining  garments,"  who  said  unto  them,  "Why  seek  ye  the 
living  among  the  dead?  He  is  not  here,  but  is  risen.  Re- 
member how  he  spoke  unto  you  when  he  was  yet  in  Gali- 
lee, saying,  The  Son  of  Man  must  be  delivered  into  the  hands 
of  sinful  men  and  be  crucified,  and  the  third  day  rise  again." 
And  not  until  then  did  the  disciples  remember  these  words 
of  the  Savior,  or  begin  to  understand  their  meaning.  Why 
were  they  thus  forgetful,  and  seemingly  ignorant  of  all  they 
had  been  taught  by  the  Savior  respecting  the  objects  of  his 
mission  to  the  earth?  Because  they  lacked  one  important 
qualification,  they  had  not  yet  been  "endowed  with  power 
from  on  high."  They  had  not  yet  obtained  the  gift  of  the 


CHURCH,  PRIESTHOOD  AND  MAN        25 

Holy  Ghost.  And  the  presumption  is,  they  never  would 
have  received  this  important  and  essential  endowment  had 
Christ's  mission  been  completed  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

It  may  seem  strange  to  some  who  may  not  have  reflected 
on  this  matter  fully,  that  the  disciples  of  Christ  were  without 
the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  until  after  his  resurrection.  But 
so  it  is  written,  notwithstanding  the  Savior  on  one  occasion 
declared,  "blessed  art  thou,  Simon,  etc.,  for  flesh  and  blood 
hath  not  revealed  this  unto  thee,  but  my  Father  which  is  in 
heaven."  While  Jesus  was  with  them  he  was  their  light  and 
their  inspiration.  They  followed  him  by  sight,  and  felt  the 
majestic  power  of  his  presence,  and  when  these  were  gone 
they  returned  to  their  nets  and  to  their  various  occupations 
and  to  their  homes  saying,  "we  trusted  that  it  had  been  he 
which  should  have  redeemed  Israel,  but  the  chief  priests 
and  our  rulers  have  delivered  him  to  be  condemned  to  death, 
and  have  crucified  him."  No  wonder  that  Jesus  exclaimed 
unto  some  of  them,  "O  fools,  and  slow  of  heart  to  believe 
all  that  the  prophets  have  spoken." 

If  the  disciples  had  been  endowed  with  the  "gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,"  or  "with  power  from  on  high,"  at  this  time, 
their  course  would  have  been  altogether  different  from  this, 
as  the  sequel  abundantly  proved.  If  Peter,  who  was  the 
chief  apostle,  had  received  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
the  power  and  testimony  thereof  prior  to  the  terrible  night 
on  which  he  cursed  and  swore  and  denied  his  Lord,  the  re- 
sult would  have  been  very  different  with  him,  for  then  he 
would  have  sinned  against  "light  and  knowledge,"  and 
"against  the  Holy  Ghost,"  for  which  there  is  no  forgiveness. 
The  fact,  therefore,  that  he  was  forgiven,  after  bitter  tears 
of  repentance,  is  an  evidence  that  he  was  without  the  wit- 
ness of  the  Holy  Ghost,  never  having  received  it.  The  other 
disciples  or  apostles  of  Christ  were  precisely  in  the  same 
condition,  and  it  was  not  until  the  evening  of  the  day  on 
which  Jesus  came  out  of  the  grave  that  he  bestowed  upon 


26  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

them  this  inestimable  gift.  John  gives  a  careful  description 
of  this  important  event  which  concludes  as  follows :  "Then 
said  Jesus  to  them  again,  Peace  be  unto  you ;  as  my  Father 
hath  sent  me,  even  so  send  I  you.  And  when  he  had  said  this, 
he  breathed  on  them  and  saith  unto  them,  Receive  ye  the 
Holy  Ghost;  whose  soever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are  remitted 
unto  them,"  etc.  This  was  their  glorious  commission,  and 
now  were  they  prepared  to  receive  the  witness  of  the  Spirit 
— even  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ.  Yet  they  were  told 
to  "tarry  in  Jerusalem,  until  they  were  endued  with  power 
from  on  high,"  which  they  did.  Jesus  further  told  them 
that  if  he  went  not  away  the  "Comforter" — that  is,  the  Holy 
Ghost — would  not  come  unto  them,  but  if  he  went  away  he 
would  "send  him,"  and  he  it  was  who  should  testify  of 
Christ,  and  of  the  Father,  and  bring  to  their  remembrance 
"all  things  whatsoever"  he  had  commanded  or  taught  them, 
and  it  should  "lead  them  into  all  truth."  Thus  we  see  that 
the  resurrection  from  the  dead,  not  only  of  Christ,  but  of 
all  mankind,  in  the  due  time  of  the  Lord,  the  endowment  of 
the  apostles  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  their  glorious  com- 
mission from  Christ,  being  sent  out  by  him  as  he  was  sent 
by  the  Father;  the  opening  of  the  eyes  of  the  disciples  to 
understand  the  prophecies  of  the  Scriptures,  and  many  other 
things  did  Jesus  after  he  cried  out  upon  the  cross,  "it  is 
finished."  Further,  the  mission  of  Jesus  will  be  unfinished 
until  he  redeems  the  whole  human  family,  except  the  sons  of 
perdition,  and  also  this  earth  from  the  curse  that  is  upon  it, 
and  both  the  earth  and  its  inhabitants  can  be  presented  to 
the  Father  redeemed,  sanctified  and  glorious. 

Things  upon  the  earth,  so  far  as  they  have  not  been 
perverted  by  wickedness,  are  typical  of  things  in  heaven. 
Heaven  was  the  prototype  of  this  beautiful  creation  when 
it  came  from  the  hand  of  the  Creator,  and  was  pronounced 
"good."— Journal  of  Discourses,  Vol.  23  (1883),  pp.  169- 
175,  delivered  June  18,  1882. 


CHURCH,  PRIESTHOOD  AND  MAN        27 

MAN  ETERNALLY  RESPONSIBLE.  Man  will  be  held  re- 
sponsible in  the  life  to  come  for  the  deeds  that  he  has  done 
in  this  life,  and  will  have  to  answer  for  the  stewardships 
entrusted  to  his  care  here,  before  the  Judge  of  the  quick  and 
the  dead,  the  Father  of  our  spirits,  and  of  our  Lord  and 
Master.  This  is  in  the  design  of  God,  a  part  of  his  great 
purpose.  We  are  not  here  to  live  a  few  months  or  years,  to 
eat,  drink  and  sleep,  then  to  die,  pass  away  and  perish.  The 
Lord  Almighty  never  designed  man  to  be  so  ephemeral,  use- 
less and  imperfect  as  this.  I  would  pity  the  being  who  had 
such  a  conception  as  this  of  the  Creator  of  the  starry  heav- 
ens, the  planets,  and  the  world  on  which  we  dwell,  poor  as 
it  is  in  glory  in  comparison  to  the  many  others  created.  Is 
it  conceivable  that  one  possessing  such  power,  majesty,  intel- 
ligence, light  and  knowledge  would  create  a  world  like  this 
and  people  it  with  beings  in  his  own  image  and  likeness  only 
to  live  and  grovel  through  a  short,  miserable  existence,  then 
die  and  perish  ?  No  such  thing !  There  is  no  death  here,  but 
there  is  life ! 

God  is  the  God  of  the  living,  and  not  of  the  dead.  He 
is  the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  and  of  the  ancient 
prophets.  They  live !  They  live  not  only  in  the  words  they 
spoke,  the  predictions  they  made,  and  in  the  promises  handed 
down  from  generation  to  generation  to  the  children  of  men  ; 
they  live  not  only  in  the  record  they  made,  in  the  doctrines 
that  they  taught,  and  in  the  hope  that  they  held  out  for 
redemption,  atonement  and  salvation,  but  they  live  in  spirit, 
in  entity,  as  they  lived  here.  They  are  prophets,  as  they 
were  prophets  here,  the  chosen  of  God ;  patriarchs,  as  they 
were  here;  possessing  the  same  identity,  the  same  entity; 
and  by  and  by,  if  not  already,  they  will  possess  the  same 
bodies  they  possessed  while  journeying  in  mortality.  Those 
bodies  will  become  purified,  cleansed,  and  made  perfect ;  and 
the  spirit  and  the  body  will  be  reunited,  never  more  to  be 
separated,  never  again  to  taste  of  death.  This  is  the  law 


28  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

and  the  promise  of  God,  and  the  words  spoken  to  his  ancient 
prophets,  come  down  to  us  through  the  generations  that 
have  followed. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  21,  p.  357,  Feb., 
1918. 

OUR  INDESTRUCTIBLE,  IMMORTAL  IDENTITY.  What  a 
glorious  thing  it  is  to  know  and  be  true  to  that  which  has 
been  revealed  in  these  latter  times  through  the  instrumental- 
ity of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith.  It  was  revealed  anciently 
by  the  Savior  himself,  and  he  exemplified  that  glorious  prin- 
ciple of  which  I  wish  to  say  a  few  words,  and  which  has 
been  renewed  and  emphasized  more  especially  in  these  latter 
days  through  Joseph  Smith — I  refer  to  our  identity,  our  in- 
destructible, immortal  identity.  As  in  Christ  we  have  the 
example,  he  was  born  of  woman,  he  lived,  he  died,  and  he 
lived  again  in  his  own  person  and  being,  bearing  even  the 
marks  of  the  wounds  in  his  flesh,  after  his  resurrection  from 
the  dead — so  also  a  testimony  has  been  given  to  you,  in  later 
days,  through  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  and  others  who 
have  been  blessed  with  knowledge,  that  the  same  individual 
Being  still  lives  and  will  always  live.  Jesus  is  possessed  of 
immortality,  and  eternal  life;  and  in  evidence  of  his  exist- 
ence and  his  immortality,  and  in  evidence  of  the  great  and 
glorious  truths  of  the  gospel  which  he  taught,  the  death 
which  he  died,  and  the  resurrection  that  he  wrought  from 
the  dead,  he  has  revealed  himself  and  borne  his  own  record 
and  testimony  to  those  who  have  lived  and  still  live  in  this 
day  and  age.  What  a  glorious  thought  it  is,  to  me  at  least, 
and  it  must  be  to  all  who  have  conceived  of  the  truth  or 
received  it  in  their  hearts,  that  those  from  whom  we  have  to 
part  here,  we  will  meet  again  and  see  as  they  are.  We  will 
meet  the  same  identical  being  that  we  associated  with  here  in 
the  flesh — not  some  other  soul,  some  other  being,  or  the 
same  being  in  some  other  form,  but  the  same  identity  and 
the  same  form  and  likeness,  the  same  person  we  knew  and 
were  associated  with  in  our  mortal  existence,  even  to  the 


CHURCH,  PRIESTHOOD  AND  MAN        29 

wounds  in  the  flesh.  Not  that  a  person  will  always  be 
marred  by  scars,  wounds,  deformities,  defects  or  infirmities, 
for  these  will  be  removed  in  their  course,  in  their  proper 
time,  according  to  the  merciful  providence  of  God.  De- 
formity will  be  removed ;  defects  will  be  eliminated,  and  men 
and  women  shall  attain  to  the  perfection  of  their  spirits,  to 
the  perfection  that  God  designed  in  the  beginning.  It  is  his 
purpose  that  men  and  women,  his  children,  born  to  become 
heirs  of  God,  and  joint  heirs  with  Jesus  Christ,  shall  be 
made  perfect,  physically  as  well  as  spiritually,  through  obe- 
dience to  the  law  by  which  he  has  provided  the  means  that 
perfection  shall  come  to  all  his-children.  Therefore,  I  look  for 
the  time  when  our  dear  Brother  William  C.  Staines,  whom 
we  all  knew  so  well,  and  with  whom  we  were  familiar  for 
years — I  was  familiar  with  him,  all  my  life,  just  as  I  was 
familiar  with  Aunt  Rachel  here  all  my  life,  and  do  not  re- 
member the  time  when  I  did  not  know  her — I  look  for  the 
time,  I  say,  when  Brother  Staines  will  be  restored.  He  will 
not  remain  the  crippled  and  deformed  William  C.  Staines 
that  we  knew,  but  he  will  be  restored  to  his  perfect  frame 
— every  limb,  every  joint,  every  part  of  his  physical  being 
will  be  restored  to  its  perfect  frame.  This  is  the  law  and 
the  word  of  God  to  us,  as  it  is  contained  in  the  revelations 
that  have  come  to  us,  through  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith. 
The  point  in  my  mind  which  I  desire  to  speak  of  particu- 
larly is  this :  When  we  shall  have  the  privilege  to  meet  our 
mother,  our  aunt,  our  sister,  this  noble  woman  whose  mor- 
tal remains  lie  here  now,  but  whose  immortal  spirit  has 
ascended  to  God  from  whence  it  came,  when  that  spirit  shall 
return  to  take  up  this  tabernacle  again,  she  will  be  Aunt 
Rachel  in  her  perfection.  She  will  not  always  remain  just 
as  she  will  appear  when  she  is  restored  again  to  life,  but  she 
will  go  on  to  perfection.  Under  that  law  of  restoration  that 
God  has  provided,  she  will  regain  her  perfection,  the  per- 
fection of  her  youth,  the  perfection  of  her  glory  and  of  her 


30  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

being,  until  her  resurrected  body  shall  assume,  the  exact 
stature  of  the  spirit  that  possessed  it  here  in  its  perfection, 
and  thus  we  shall  see  the  glorified,  redeemed,  exalted,  per- 
fected Aunt  Rachel,  mother,  sister,  saint  and  daughter  of 
the  living  God,  her  identity  being  unchanged,  as  a  child 
may  grow  to  manhood  or  womanhood  and  still  be  the  same 
being. 

I  want  to  say  to  my  friends,  my  brethren  and  sisters, 
and  to  the  kindred,  that  the  Lord  Almighty  has  revealed 
these  truths  to  us  in  these  days.  We  not  only  have  it  in 
the  written  word,  we  have  it  in  the  testimony  of  the  Spirit 
of  God  in  the  heart  of  every  soul  who  has  drunk  from  the 
fountain  of  truth  and  light,  and  that  witness  bears  record 
of  these  words  to  us.  What  else  would  satisfy  us  ?  What 
else  would  satisfy  the  desire  of  the  immortal  soul?  Would 
we  be  satisfied  to  be  imperfect?  Would  we  be  satisfied  to 
be  decrepit  ?  Would  we  be  satisfied  to  remain  forever  and 
ever  in  the  form  of  infirmity  incident  to  age  ?  No !  Would 
we  be  satisfied  to  see  the  children  we  bury  in  their  infancy 
remain  as  children  only,  throughout  the  countless  ages  of 
eternity?  No!  Neither  would  the  spirit  that  did  possess 
the  tabernacles  of  our  children  be  satisfied  to  remain  in  that 
condition.  But  we  know  our  children  will  not  be  com- 
pelled to  remain  a  child  in  stature  always,  for  it  was  re- 
vealed from  God,  the  fountain  of  truth,  through  Joseph 
Smith  the  prophet,  in  this  dispensation,  that  in  the  resur- 
rection of  the  dead  the  child  that  was  buried  in  its  infancy 
will  come  up  in  the  form  of  the  child  that  it  was  when  it 
was  laid  down,  then  it  will  begin  to  develop.  From  the  day 
of  the  resurrection,  the  body  will  develop  until  it  reaches  the 
full  measure  of  the  stature  of  its  spirit,  whether  it  be  male 
or  female.  If  the  spirit  possessed  the  intelligence  of  God 
and  the  aspirations  of  mortal  souls,  it  could  not  be  satisfied 
with  anything  less  than  this.  You  will  remember  we  are  told 
that  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ  visited  one  of  the  ancient 


CHURCH,  PRIESTHOOD  AND  MAN        31 

prophets  and  revealed  himself  to  him,  and  he  declared  his 
identity,  that  he  was  the  same  Son  of  God  that  was  to  come 
in  the  meridian  of  time.  He  said  he  would  appear  in  the 
flesh  just  as  he  appeared  to  that  prophet.  He  was  not  an 
infant;  he  was  a  grown,  developed  spirit;  possessing  the 
form  of  man  and  the  form  of  God,  the  same  form  as  when 
he  came  and  took  upon  him  a  tabernacle  and  developed  it 
to  the  full  stature  of  his  spirit.  These  are  truths  that  have 
been  revealed  to  us.  What  for?  To  give  us  intelligent 
hope;  to  give  us  intelligent  aspiration;  to  lead  us  to  think, 
to  hope,  to  labor  and  accomplish  what  God  has  aimed  and 
does  aim  and  design  that  we  should  accomplish,  not  only  in 
this  life,  but  in  the  life  to  come. 

I  rejoice  exceedingly  that  I  know  and  have  known 
nearly  all  my  life  such  a  noble  woman.  I  do  not  remember 
the  first  time  that  I  saw  Aunt  Rachel,  I  can't  recall  it;  it 
seems  to  me  I  always  knew  her,  just  as  I  knew  my  mother 
in  my  childhood  and  all  the  way  through  life ;  and  I  rejoice 
exceedingly  in  this  testimony  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  that 
has  come  to  us  through  revelation  in  the  latter  days.  Through 
this  testimony  I  am  confident  that  I  shall  see  Aunt  Rachel, 
by  and  by ;  and  when  I  go — and  I  expect  to  go,  perhaps, 
long  before  she  shall  recover  this  tabernacle — I  expect  to 
meet  her  there.  I  expect  to  meet  the  same  individual  that 
I  knew  here.  I  expect  to  be  able  to  recognize  her  just  as  I 
could  recognize  her  tomorrow,  if  she  were  living.  I  believe 
I  will  know  just  exactly  who  she  is  and  what  she  is,  and 
I  will  remember  all  I  knew  about  her;  and  enjoy  her  asso- 
ciation in  the  spirit  as  I  did  in  the  flesh;  because  her  iden- 
tity is  fixed  and  indestructible,  just  as  fixed  and  indestruc- 
tible as  the  identity  of  God  the  Father  and  Jesus  Christ  the 
Son.  They  cannot  be  any  other  than  themselves.  They 
cannot  be  changed ;  they  are  from  everlasting  to  everlasting, 
eternally  the  same ;  so  it  will  be  with  us.  We  will  progress 
and  develop  and  grow  in  wisdom  and  understanding,  but  our 


32  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

identity  can  never  change.  We  did  not  spring  from  spawn. 
Our  spirits  existed  from  the  beginning,  have  existed  always, 
and  will  continue  forever.  We  did  not  pass  through  the  or- 
deals of  embodiment  in  the  lesser  animals  in  order  to  reach 
the  perfection  to  which  we  have  attained  in  manhood  and 
womanhood,  in  the  image  and  likeness  of  God.  God  was 
and  is  our  Father,  and  his  children  were  begotten  in  the 
flesh  in  his  own  image  and  likeness,  male  and  female.  There 
may  have  been  times  when  they  did  not  possess  the  same 
intelligence  that  they  possessed  at  other  times.  There  are 
periods  in  the  history  of  the  world  when  men  have  dwin- 
dled into  ignorance  and  barbarism,  and  then  there  were 
other  times  when  they  have  grown  in  intelligence,  developed 
in  understanding,  enlarged  in  spirit  and  comprehension,  ap- 
proaching nearer  to  the  condition  and  likeness  of  their 
Father  and  God,  and  then  losing  faith,  losing  the  love  of 
God,  losing  the  light  of  the  Spirit  and  returning  again  to 
semi-barbarism.  Then  again,  they  have  been  restored,  by 
the  power  and  operation  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  upon 
their  minds,  until  they  again  reached  a  degree  of  intelligence. 
We  have  reached  a  degree  of  intelligence,  in  our  dispensa- 
tion. Will  this  same  degree  of  intelligence,  that  now  exists 
throughout  the  world,  continue  to  exist  ?  Yes ;  if  the  world 
continue  to  abide  in  the  light  that  has  been  shed  abroad  in 
the  world  by  the  Father  of  light,  with  whom  there  is  no 
variableness  nor  shadow  of  turning.  But  let  them  deny  God, 
let  them  deny  truth,  let  them  depart  from  righteousness,  let 
them  begin  again  to  wallow  in  wickedness  and  transgression 
of  the  laws  of  God,  and  what  wrill  be  the  result?  They  will 
degenerate ;  they  will  again  recede  possibly  into  absolute 
barbarism,  unless  they  repent,  and  the  power  of  God  will 
be  again  restored  to  them  and  they  be  again  lifted  up  by 
that  light  which  shines  and  is  never  dim,  except  to  men 
who  shut  their  hearts  and  eyes  and  ears  against  it  and  will 
not  receive  it. 


CHURCH,  PRIESTHOOD  AND  MAN        33 

I  did  not  expect  to  enter  into  any  lengthy  discourse.  I 
thank  God  for  my  relationship  and  acquaintance  with  this 
noble,  good  mother.  I  expect  to  be  associated  with  her 
throughout  all  the  ages  to  come,  if  I  can  be  as  faithful  as 
she  has  been.  I  desire  to  be,  and  that  isn't  all — with  the  help 
of  God,  I  intend  to  be  faithful,  as  she  has  been  faithful,  that 
in  the  end  I  may  be  worthy  to  dwell  where  she  will  dwell, 
with  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  with  her  husband  with 
whom  she  was  associated  here  in  the  flesh,  with  her  son 
and  her  children,  from  generation  to  generation.  I  expect 
to  be  associated  with  them  in  the  mansions  that  are  prepared 
for  the  righteous,  where  God  and  Christ  are,  where  those 
shall  be  who  believe  in  his  name,  who  receive  his  work  and 
abide  in  his  law.  Oh!  that  I  could  be  instrumental  in  the 
hands  of  the  Lord  in  bringing  every  loved  soul  unto  him, 
for  there  are  souls  that  are  still  lacking,  whom  I  love,  and 
if  it  were  possible,  how  I  would  love  to  be  instrumental  in 
the  hand  of  the  Lord  in  bringing  those  loved  souls  to  a 
knowledge  of  this  truth,  that  they  might  receive  of  its  glory, 
benefits  and  blessings  in  this  life  and  in  the  life  to  come. 
From  my  childhood,  I  have  always  tried  to  be  a  savior  on 
Mount  Zion,  a  savior  among  men.  I  have  that  desire  in  my 
heart.  I  may  not  have  been  very  successful  in  my  ambi- 
tion to  accomplish  this  work,  but  I  have  desired  it,  and  I 
still  desire  that  I  may  be  instrumental  in  helping  to  spread 
this  truth  to  the  earth's  remotest  bounds  and  the  testimony 
of  it  to  the  children  of  men  in  every  land.  I  know  it  is 
true.  It  appeals  to  my  judgment,  to  my  desires ;  and  to  the 
aspirations  of  my  soul.  I  want  my  family ;  I  want  those 
the  Lord  has  given  to  me ;  I  want  them  now ;  I  want  them 
forever!  I  want  to  be  associated  with  them  forever.  I  do 
not  want  them  to  change  their  identity.  I  do  not  want  them 
to  be  somebody  else.  This  idea  of  theosophy,  that  is  gaining 
ground  even  among  so-called  Christians,  in  these  latter  days, 
is  a  fallacy  of  the  deepest  kind.  It  is  absolutely  repugnant 


34  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

to  the  very  soul  of  man  to  think  that  a  civilized,  intelligent 
being  might  become  a  dog,  a  cow,  a  cat;  that  he  might  be 
transformed  into  another  shape,  another  kind  of  being.  It  is 
absolutely  repulsive,  and  so  opposed  to  the  great  truth  of 
God,  that  has  been  revealed  from  the  beginning,  that  he  is 
from  the  beginning  always  the  same,  that  he  cannot  change, 
and  that  his  children  cannot  change.  They  may  change 
from  worse  to  better;  they  may  change  from  evil  to  good, 
from  unrighteousness  to  righteousness,  from  humanity  to 
immortality,  from  death  to  life  everlasting.  They  may 
progress  in  the  manner  in  which  God  has  progressed;  they 
may  grow  and  advance,  but  their  identity  can  never  be 
changed,  worlds  without  end — remember  that,  God  has  re- 
vealed these  principles,  and  I  know  they  are  true.  They 
assert  their  truth  upon  the  intelligent  mind  and  soul  of  man. 
They  embrace  or  embody  that  which  the  Lord  has  planted 
in  our  hearts  and  souls  to  desire,  and  to  give  it  unto  us. 
They  put  us  in  the  way  of  receiving  that  which  we  most 
desire  and  most  love,  that  which  is  most  necessary  and  es- 
sential to  our  happiness  and  exaltation.  They  take  of  the 
things  of  God  and  give  them  to  us,  and  they  prepare  us  for 
the  future,  for  exaltation  and  for  eternal  happiness,  a  re- 
ward which  all  the  souls  in  the  world  desire,  if  they  are 
correct  in  their  lives  and  thoughts.  It  is  only  the  vicious 
and  the  truly  wicked  who  do  not  desire  purity;  they  do  not 
love  purity  and  truth.  I  do  not  know  whether  it  is  possible 
for  any  soul  to  become  so  debased  as  to  lose  all  regard  for 
that  which  is  pure  and  chaste,  good  and  true  and  godlike.  I 
believe  that  there  still  lingers  in  the  heart  of  the  most  vicious 
and  wicked,  at  times  at  least,  a  spark  of  that  divinity  that 
has  been  planted  in  the  souls  of  all  the  sons  of  God.  Men 
may  become  so  corrupt  that  they  do  not  have  more  than 
mere  glimpses  of  that  divine  inspiration  that  strives  to  lead 
them  toward  and  to  love  good ;  but  I  do  not  believe  there 
is  a  soul  in  the  wrorld  that  has  absolutely  lost  all  conception 


CHURCH,  PRIESTHOOD  AND  MAN        35 

and  admiration  of  that  which  is  good  and  pure,  when  he 
sees  it.  It  is  hard  to  believe  that  a  human  being  may  be- 
come so  depraved  that  he  has  lost  all  desire  that  he  might 
also  be  good  and  pure,  if  it  were  possible ;  but  many  people 
have  abandoned  themselves  to  evil  and  have  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  there  is  no  chance  for  them.  While  there  is 
life  there  is  hope,  and  while  there  is  repentance  there  is  a 
chance  for  forgiveness ;  and  if  there  is  forgiveness,  there  is 
a  chance  for  growth  and  development  until  we  acquire  the 
full  knowledge  of  these  principles  that  will  exalt  and  save  us 
and  prepare  us  to  enter  into  the  presence  of  God  the  Father, 
who  is  the  Father  of  our  spirits,  and  who  is  the  Father,  in 
the  flesh,  of  his  Only  Begotten  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  who 
joined  divine  immortality  with  the  mortal,  welded  the  link 
between  God  and  man,  and  made  it  possible  for  mortal  souls, 
on  whom  the  sentence  of  death  had  been  placed,  to  acquire 
eternal  life,  through  obedience  to  his  laws.  Let  us,  there- 
fore, seek  for  the  truth  and  walk  in  the  light  as  Christ  is  in 
the  light,  that  we  may  have  fellowship  with  him,  and  with 
each  other,  that  his  blood  may  cleanse  us  from  all  sin. 

May  the  Lord  comfort  my  brother  Heber,  and  I  know 
he  will.  Brother  Heber  does  not  feel  that  there  is  any  death 
here.  I  don't  think  I  could  weep  for  sorrow.  I  could  give 
way  to  tears  just  now,  but  they  would  not  be  tears  of  sor- 
row, of  mourning,  or  of  grief,  for  this  good  soul.  They 
would  only  express  the  love  I  have  for  her ;  they  would  only 
indicate  my  feelings  toward  her,  for  the  noble  and  pure  ex- 
ample she  set  before  me  and  all  who  have  known  her.  I 
could  weep  for  joy  in  the  knowledge  that  I  possess  that  she, 
in  her  spirit  life  and  being,  is  and  will  be  associated  with 
all  those  who  have  been  endeared  to  her  by  the  persecutions, 
the  experiences  and  the  trials  through  which  she  has  had  to 
pass  in  this  world.  With  them  she  is  rejoicing  today,  as 
one  born  out  of  death  into  life  everlasting.  She  is  not  dead ; 
she  lives !  What  greater  proof  do  you  want  of  that  fact 


36  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

than  to  see  her  lifeless  form?  Who  is  she?  This  is  her 
caskd.  This  is  her  mortal  tenement;  this  is  but  the  clay 
that  enveloped  the  immortal,  living  Aunt  Rachel,  the  living 
spirit.  The  spirit  has  fled.  Her  spirit,  the  immortal  part, 
has  departed  from  this  tabernacle;  hence,  this  tabernacle 
lies  here  lifeless  and  ready  to  return  to  mother  earth  from 
whence  it  came,  but  to  be  restored  again,  every  element  to  be 
recalled  and  re-formed  in  its  perfect  frame,  when  Aunt 
Rachel  will  come  and  take  possession  of  it  and  inherit  it  for- 
ever, just  as  Christ  came  and  took  up  his  body  that  was  not 
suffered  to  see  corruption,  and  inherited  it  in  its  immortal 
state,  never  to  be  separated  again ;  so  it  will  be  with  her.— 
Improvement  Era,  Vol.  12,  p.  591,  June,  1909.  Speech  at 
the  funeral  services  of  Rachel  Grant,  mother  of  President 
Heber  J.  Grant. 

No  NEW  PRINCIPLES  IN  THE  GOSPEL.  We  have  no  new 
principles  to  advocate ;  but  we  have  come  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel of  life  and  salvation,  to  testify  to  the  divinity  of  our 
Lord  and  Savior,  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  the  divine  mission 
of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  through  whose  instrumen- 
tality the  truth  was  restored  in  this  dispensation. — Improve- 
ment Era,  Vol.  21,  p.  98,  December,  1917. 

FOUNTAIN  OF  TRUTH.  We  hear  frequently  of  men 
v/ho  throw  discredit  on  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Savior  and  Redeemer,  because  some  of  the  principles,  doc- 
trines, and  philosophy  which  he  taught  are  said  to  have 
been  spoken  before  his  day  by  heathen  philosophers. 

A  variety  of  examples  are  sometimes  quoted  to  show 
that  the  ideals  which  have  grown  from  the  doctrines  of 
Christ  are  a  direct  development  of  what  is  found  in  the 
teachings  of  the  Old  Testament,  particularly  in  the  Psalms 
and  in  the  second  part  of  Isaiah.  But,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  is  just  as  certain  that  these  ideals  receive  a  finish  and  an 
enrichment,  by  the  touch  of  the  Savior,  vastly  beyond  and 
above  what  they  possessed  before,  and  also  they  are  placed 


CHURCH,  PRIESTHOOD  AND  MAN        37 

on  deeper  and  firmer  foundations.  This,  let  it  be  said  to 
begin  with,  is  because  they  were  his  before  they  were  ever 
uttered  by  man. 

Even  in  the  five  distinctive  and  characteristic  topics  gen- 
erally considered  by  commentators  original  in  the  teachings 
of  Jesus,  we  find  little  if  anything  new,  except  the  enlarge- 
ment. These  are  named  as,  the  Fatherhood  of  God,  the  King- 
dom of  God  ;  subjects  or  members  of  the  Kingdom  ;  the  Mes- 
siah ;  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  the  Tri-unity  of  God. 

But  the  idea  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God  was  not  un- 
known either  to  the  Pagans  or  to  Israel.  Zeus,  from  the  time 
of  Homer,  had  borne  the  name  "father  of  gods  and  men." 
But,  both  in  Jewish  and  Pagan  literature,  the  idea  was  super- 
ficial and  meant  little  more  than  "originator"  (Gen.  1:26)  ; 
and  in  the  old  Jewish  scripture  God  is  more  particularly 
called  the  "Father  of  his  people,  Israel"  (Deut.  14:1 ;  Isaiah 
63  :16).  But  in  the  teachings  of  Christ  there  is  a  fuller  em- 
bodiment of  revelation  in  the  word  Father,  and  the  appli- 
cation which  he  makes  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God  invests 
his  life  with  supreme  tenderness  and  beauty.  As  an  exam- 
ple: In  the  old  scripture,  we  are  told,  "Like  as  a  father 
pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear  him" 
(Psalms  103  :13)  ;  but  by  the  interpretation  of  Jesus,  the  love 
of  God  as  Father  extends  beyond  these  limitations  even  to 
those  who  are  unthankful  and  evil:  "But  I  say  unto  you, 
Love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to 
them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  which  despitefully 
use  you  and  persecute  you;  that  ye  may  be  the  children  of 
your  Father  which  is  in  heaven:  for  he  maketh  his  sun  to 
rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the 
just  and  the  unjust"  (Matt.  5:45).  "But  love  ye  your  en- 
emies, and  do  good,  and  lend,  hoping  for  nothing  again  ;  and 
your  reward  shall  be  great,  and  ye  shall  be  the  children  of 
the  Highest ;  for  he  is  kind  unto  the  unthankful  and  to  the 
evil"  (Luke  6:35). 


38  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

And  so  with  other  doctrines  of  Christ;  while  perhaps 
not  new  they  are  enriched  by  the  addition  of  fuller,  broader, 
more  loving  conceptions  of  God  and  his  purposes ;  in  which 
compulsion  was  eliminated  and  lowly  service,  love,  and  self- 
sacrifice  were  substituted  and  made  the  true  forces  of  an 
acceptable  life.  Even  the  answer  to  the  lawyer's  question, 
often  called  the  eleventh  commandment :  "Master,  which  is 
the  great  commandment  in  the  law?"  had  been  given  to  the 
children  of  Israel  (Lev.  19:19),  over  two  thousand  years  be- 
fore its  perfected  meaning  was  impressed  upon  the  learned 
Pharisee  (Matt.  22:34,40). 

But  what  of  all  this  ?  Are  we  therefore  to  discredit  the 
teachings  of  the  Savior?  Verily  no.  Let  it  be  remembered 
that  Christ  was  with  the  Father  from  the  beginning,  that 
the  gospel  of  truth  and  light  existed  from  the  beginning  and 
is  from  everlasing  to  everlasting.  The  Father,  Son  and  Holy 
Ghost,  as  one  God,  are  the  fountain  of  truth.  From  this 
fountain  all  the  ancient  learned  philosophers  have  received 
their  inspiration  and  wisdom — from  it  they  have  received 
all  their  knowledge.  If  we  find  truth  in  broken  fragments 
through  the  ages,  it  may  be  set  down  as  an  incontrovertible 
fact  that  it  originated  at  the  fountain,  and  was  given  to 
philosophers,  inventors,  patriots,  reformers,  and  prophets  by 
the  inspiration  of  God.  It  came  from  him  through  his  Son 
Jesus  Christ  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  the  first  place,  and  from 
no  other  source.  It  is  eternal. 

Christ,  therefore,  being  the  fountain  of  truth,  is  no 
imitator.  He  taught  the  truth  first ;  it  was  his  before  it  was 
given  to  man.  When  he  came  to  the  earth  he  not  only  pro- 
claimed new  thought,  but  repeated  some  of  the  everlasting 
principles  which  had  been  heretofore  only  partly  understood 
and  enunciated  by  the  wisest  of  men.  And  in  so  doing  he 
enlarged  in  every  instance  upon  the  wisdom  which  they  had 
originally  received  from  him,  because  of  his  superior  abilities 
and  wisdom  and  his  association  with  the  Father  and  the 


CHURCH,  PRIESTHOOD  AND  MAN        39 

Holy  Ghost.  He  did  not  imitate  men.  They  made  known 
in  their  imperfect  way  what  the  inspiration  of  Jesus  Christ 
had  taught  them,  for  they  obtained  their  enlightenment  first 
from  him. 

Christ  taught  the  gospel  to  Adam  and  made  known  his 
truths  to  Abraham  and  the  prophets.  He  was  the  inspirer 
of  the  ancient  philosophers,  Pagan  or  Israelite,  as  well  as 
of  the  great  characters  of  modern  times.  Columbus,  in  dis- 
covery ;  Washington,  in  the  struggle  for  freedom ;  Lin- 
coln, in  emancipation  and  union;  Bacon,  in  philosophy; 
Franklin,  in  statesmanship  and  diplomacy ;  Stephenson,  in 
steam ;  Watts,  in  song ;  Edison,  in  electricity,  and  Joseph 
Smith,  in  theology  and  religion,  found  in  Christ  the  source 
of  their  wisdom  and  the  marvelous  truths  which  they  advo- 
cated. 

Calvin,  Luther,  Malanchthon,  and  all  the  reformers,  were 
inspired  in  thoughts,  words,  and  actions,  to  accomplish  what 
they  did  for  the  amelioration,  liberty  and  advancement  of  the 
human  race.  They  paved  the  way  for  the  more  perfect  gos- 
pel of  truth  to  come.  Their  inspiration,  as  with  that  of  the 
ancients,  came  from  the  Father,  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  and 
the  Holy  Ghost,  the  one  true  and  living  God.  This  may  also 
truthfully  be  said  concerning  the  Revolutionary  fathers  of 
this  nation,  and  all  who  have  in  the  ages  past  contributed  to 
the  progress  of  civil  and  religious  freedom.  There  is  no 
light  nor  truth  which  did  not  come  to  them  first  from  him. 
Men  are  mere  repeaters  of  what  he  has  taught  them.  He 
has  voiced  no  thoughts  originating  with  man.  The  teach- 
ings of  Jesus  did  not  begin  with  his  incarnation ;  for,  like 
truth,  he  is  eternal.  He  not  only  inspired  the  ancients,  from 
the  beginning,  but  when  he  came  to  earth  he  reiterated  eter- 
nal, original  truth,  and  added  gloriously  to  the  revelations 
men  had  uttered.  When  he  returned  to  the  Father  he  still 
took  and  does  take  an  interest  in  his  children  and  people, 
by  revealing  to  them  new  truths,  and  by  inspiring  their 


40  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

actions ;  and,  as  men  grow  in  the  knowledge  of  God,  they 
shall  become  more  and  more  like  him  unto  the  perfect  day, 
when  his  knowledge  shall  cover  the  earth  as  the  waters 
cover  the  deep. 

It  is  folly,  therefore,  to  discredit  the  Savior  on  the 
grounds  that  he  has  uttered  nothing  new ;  for,  with  the 
Father  and  the  Spirit,  he  is  the  author  of  that  which  persists 
— the  truth — that  which  has  been,  that  which  is,  and  that 
which  will  continue  forever. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  10,  pp. 
627-630,  1906-7. 

ETERNITY  OF  THE  SPIRIT  OF  MAN.  Again,  where  are 
we  going?  We  come  here  and  sojourn  in  the  flesh  a  little 
season  and  then  we  pass  away.  Every  soul  that  is  born 
into  the  world  will  die.  There  is  not  a  soul  that  has  escaped 
death,  except  those  upon  whom  God  has  passed,  by  the 
power  of  his  Spirit,  that  they  should  live  in  the  flesh  until 
the  second  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man;  but  they  will  even- 
tually have  to  pass  through  the  ordeal  called  death;  it  may 
be  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  and  without  pain  or  suffering ; 
but  they  will  pass  through  the  change,  because  it  is  an  irrev- 
ocable edict  of  the  Almighty.  "In  the  day  that  thou  eatest 
thou  shalt  surely  die."  This  was  the  edict  of  the  Almighty, 
and  it  pertains  to  Adam — that  is,  all  the  human  race ;  for 
Adam  is  many,  and  it  means  you  and  me  and  every  soul 
that  lives  and  that  bears  the  image  of  the  Father.  We  shall 
all  die.  But  is  that  the  end  of  our  being?  If  we  had  an 
existence  before  we  came  here  we  certainly  shall  continue 
that  existence  when  we  leave  here.  The  spirit  will  continue 
to  exist  as  it  did  before,  with  the  additional  advantages  de- 
rived from  having  passed  through  this  probation.  It  is 
absolutely  necessary  that  we  should  come  to  the  earth  and 
take  upon  us  tabernacles ;  because  if  we  did  not  have  taber- 
nacles we  could  not  be  like  God,  or  like  Jesus  Christ.  God 
has  a  tabernacle  of  flesh  and  bone.  He  is  an  organized  be- 
ing just  as  we  are  who  are  now  in  the  flesh.  Jesus  Christ 


CHURCH,  PRIESTHOOD  AND  MAN        41 

was  born  of  his  mother,  Mary.  He  had  a  fleshly  taber- 
nacle ;  he  was  crucified  on  the  cross,  and  his  body  was  raised 
from  the  dead.  He  burst  the  bonds  of  the  grave  and  came 
forth  to  newness  of  life,  a  living  soul,  a  living  being,  a  man 
with  a  body,  and  with  parts  and  with  spirit — the  spirit  and 
the  body  becoming  a  living  and  immortal  soul.  You  and 
I  have  got  to  do  the  same  thing.  We  must  go  through  the 
same  ordeal  in  order  to  attain  to  the  glory  and  exaltation 
which  God  designed  we  should  enjoy  with  him  in  the  eter- 
nal worlds.  In  other  words,  we  must  become  like  him; 
peradventure  to  sit  upon  thrones,  to  have  dominion,  power 
and  eternal  increase.  God  designed  this  in  the  beginning. 
We  are  the  children  of  God.  He  is  an  eternal  being,  with- 
out beginning  of  days  or  end  of  years.  He  always  was,, 
he  is,  he  always  will  be.  We  are  precisely  in  the  same  con- 
dition and  under  the  same  circumstances  that  God  our  heav- 
enly Father  was  when  he  was  passing  through  this  or  a 
similar  ordeal.  We  are  destined  to  come  forth  out  of  the 
grave  as  Jesus  did,  and  to  obtain  immortal  bodies  as  he  did 
— that  is,  that  our  tabernacles  are  to  become  immortal  as  his 
became  immortal,  that  the  spirit  and  the  body  may  be  joined 
together  and  become  one  living  being,  indivisible,  insepara- 
ble, eternal.— Deseret  Weekly  News,  Vol.  33,  pp.  130,  131. 
PURPOSES  OF  THE  ALMIGHTY  UNCHANGEABLE.  The  pur- 
poses of  the  Almighty  are  unchanged  and  unchangeable.  His 
laws  endure,  and  he  is  the  same  yesterday,  today  and  for- 
ever. His  purposes  will  ripen  and  be  consummated  and  his 
designs  be  completed.  Therefore,  if  we  do  not  conform  to 
his  will,  obey  his  laws  and  yield  to  his  requirements  in  this 
world,  we  will  be  consigned  to  the  "prison  house,"  where 
we  will  remain  until  we  pay  the  debt  to  the  uttermost 
farthing.— Deseret  Weekly  News,  Vol.  24,  1875,  p.  708. 


CHAPTER    III 
Revelation 

VALUE  OF  THE  SPIRIT  OF  REVELATION.  The  man  who 
possesses  the  spirit  of  revelation  can  realize  whether  he  is  a 
sinner,  whether  he  is  prone  to  evil,  whether  he  is  magnify- 
ing his  standing  before  the  Lord,  or  not,  better  than  a  man 
who  has  not  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  in  him,  can  he  not? — 
Apr.  C.  R.,  1912,  p.  7. 

THE  SPIRIT  OF  INSPIRATION — OF  REVELATION — BY 
WHOM  ENJOYED.  And  the  spirit  of  inspiration,  the  gift  of 
revelation  does  riot  belong  to  one  man  solely ;  it  is  not  a  gift 
that  pertains  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Church  and  the  Twelve 
apostles  alone.  It  is  not  confined  to  the  presiding  author- 
ities of  the  Church,  it  belongs  to  every  individual  member  of 
the  Church ;  and  it  is  the  right  and  privilege  of  every  man, 
every  woman,  and  every  child  who  has  reached  the  years 
of  accountability,  to  enjoy  the  spirit  of  revelation,  and  to 
be  possessed  of  the  spirit  of  inspiration  in  the  discharge  of 
their  duties  as  members  of  the  Church.  It  is  the  privilege 
of  every  individual  member  of  the  Church  to  have  revela- 
tion for  his  own  guidance,  for  the  direction  of  his  life  and 
conduct;  and  therefore  I  aver — and  I  believe  I  may  do  so 
without  any  reasonable  chance  for  it  being  gainsaid  or  op- 
posed— that  there  is  not  another  church  in  the  world,  or  an 
organization  of  religious  people,  who  are  so  universally  spir- 
itual in  their  lives,  and  who  are  so  universally  entitled  to  the 
gifts  of  the  Spirit  of  God  as  are  the  members  of  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  You  are  all  entitled 
to  revelation.  It  is  your  privilege  to  have  it  revealed  to  you 
whether  I  am  a  servant  of  God  or  a  servant  of  men ;  whether 
I  am  in  the  discharge  of  my  duty  or  not;  whether  I,  as  a 


REVELATION  43 

presiding  officer  in  the  Church,  am  acting  in  the  discharge 
of  my  duty  acceptably  to  you  and  the  Lord.  It.  is  your  priv- 
ilege to  have  revelation  in  regard  to  this,  and  to  know  the 
truth  yourselves.  And  it  is  my  privilege  to  have  revelation 
from  God,  as  an  individual,  for  my  own  temporal  guidance, 
and  I  repeat  again  that  there  never  was  a  time  in  the  earth, 
since  the  Church  was  organized,  when  the  spirituality  of 
the  people  of  God  was  greater  than  it  is  today. — Apr.  C.  R., 
1912,  p.  5. 

THE  SPIRIT  OF  REVELATION  ENJOYED  BY  ALL.  I  be- 
lieve that  every  individual  in  the  Church  has  just  as  much 
right  to  enjoy  the  spirit  of  revelation  and  the  understand- 
ing from  God  which  that  spirit  of  revelation  gives  him,  for 
his  own  good,  as  the  bishop  has  to  enable  him  to  preside  over 
his  ward.  Every  man  has  the  privilege  to  exercise  these 
gifts  and  these  privileges  in  the  conduct  of  his  own  affairs, 
in  bringing  up  his  children  in  the  way  they  should  go,  and 
in  the  management  of  his  farm,  his  flocks,  his  herds,  and 
in  the  management  of  his  business,  if  he  has  business  of  other 
kinds  to  do;  it  is  his  right  to  enjoy  the  spirit  of  revelation 
and  of  inspiration  to  do  the  right  thing,  to  be  wise  and  pru- 
dent, just  and  good  in  everything  that  he  does.  I  know  that 
this  is  a  true  principle,  and  I  know  that  I  know  it,  too ;  and 
that  is  the  thing  that  I  would  like  the  Latter-day  Saints  to 
know.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1912,  pp.  9,  10. 

NEW  REVELATION.  So  far  as  I  know  there  is  not  an 
ordinance  of  the  Church  now  enjoyed  or  practiced  that  was 
not  revealed  to  the  Church  by  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith. 
I  know  of  no  new  doctrine  that  has  been  revealed.  Prin- 
ciples that  were  revealed  to  the  Prophet  Joseph  have  grown 
and  developed  more  fully  and  clearly  to  the  understanding; 
but  we  have  received  nothing  new  that  I  know  of.  Yet  if 
we  should  receive  something  new,  through  the  proper  chan- 
nels of  the  Church,  we  should  be  as  ready  and  willing  to 
receive  it  as  we  were,  or  would  be,  to  receive  the  same  at 


44  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

the  hands  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  himself.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1900, 
p.  47. 

WHEN  TO  EXPECT  NEW  REVELATION.  We  have  nothing 
that  is  not  in  common  with  the  Latter-day  Saints.  We  know 
nothing,  and  we  will  preach  nothing  to  the  people  except 
that  which  the  Lord  God  has  revealed,  and  we  advise  and 
counsel  those  who  are  in  authority,  and  whose  duty  and 
business  it  is  to  teach  and  preach  the  principles  of  the  gos- 
pel to  the  world  and  to  the  Latter-day  Saints,  to  confine  their 
teachings  and  their  instructions  to  the  word  of  God  that 
has  been  revealed.  There  is  a  great  deal  that  has  been 
revealed  that  has  not  yet  been  lived  up  to,  I  assure  you. 
There  is  a  great  deal  yet  remaining  to  be  learned.  There  is 
a  great  deal  that  is  yet  to  be  taught  in  the  spirit  of  instruc- 
tion, and  there  is  a  great  deal  that  has  been  revealed  through 
the  Prophet  Joseph  and  his  associates  that  the  people  have 
not  yet  received  in  their  hearts,  and  have  not  yet  become 
converted  to  as  they  should.  When  we  obey  and  are  capa- 
ble of  observing  the  precepts  of  the  gospel  and  the  laws  of 
God  and  the  requirements  of  heaven,  which  have  already 
been  revealed,  we  will  be  far  better  off  and  nearer  the  goal 
of  perfection  in  wisdom,  knowledge  and  power  than  we  are 
today.  When  that  time  comes,  then  there  are  other  things 
still  greater  yet  to  be  revealed  to  the  people  of  God.  Until 
we  do  our  duty,  however,  in  that  which  we  have  received, 
until  we  are  faithful  over  the  things  that  are  now  commit- 
ted into  our  hands,  until  we  live  our  religion  as  we  have  it 
now,  as  the  Lord  has  given  it  to  us,  to  add  commandments, 
to  add  light  and  intelligence  to  us  over  that  which  we  have 
already  received,  which  we  have  not  yet  fully  obeyed,  would 
be  to  add  condemnation  upon  our  heads.  It  is  enough  for 
us  to  live  in  the  light  of  present  inspiration  and  present  rev- 
etotion  and  for  each  individual  member  of  the  Church  to 
keep  the  commandments  of  the  Lord  and  labor  in  the 
Church  as  the  Spirit  may  give  him  and  her  guidance  in  the 


REVELATION  45 

performance  of  duty.  Every  soul  of  us  is  entitled  to 
inspiration  from  God,  to  know  what  is  our  duty,  and  how 
we  are  to  do  it.  We  have  not  learned  it  yet,  not  all  of  us, 
but  we  are  in  a  fair  way  to  learn.  The  Lord  is  still  patient ; 
he  is  long-suffering;  he  is  full  of  love  and  graciousness  to- 
wards all,  and  we  are  doing  a  little  better  all  the  time.  I 
believe  we  are  a  little  more  faithful  in  the  performance  of 
our  duties  than  we  have  been  in  the  past;  yet  there  is  great 
room  for  improvement. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1917,  p.  5. 

How  THE  LORD  REVEALS  His  PURPOSES  CONCERNING 
THE  CHURCH.  And  I  know  this,  that  God  has  organized  his 
Church  in  the  earth,  and  I  know  that  when  he  designs  or 
purposes  to  make  any  change  in  the  matter  of  governing  or 
controlling  or  presiding  over  the  affairs  of  his  Church,  that 
he  will  make  the  change,  and  he  will  make  it  in  such  a  way 
that  the  whole  people  of  the  Church,  who  are  doing  right, 
will  understand  and  accept  it.  I  know  that  the  Lord  will 
not  raise  up  "Tom,  Dick,  or  Harry,"  here,  there  and  every- 
where, claiming  to  be  Christ,  or  "one  mighty  and  strong," 
claiming  to  be  inspired  and  called  to  do  some  wonderful 
thing.  The  Lord  will  not  deal  with  men  in  that  way;  that 
while  the  organization  of  the  Church  exists,  while  quorums 
and  councils  of  the  Priesthood  are  intact  in  the  Church,  the 
Lord  will  reveal  his  purposes  through  them,  and  not  through 
"Tom,  Dick,  or  Harry."  Put  that  in  your  little  note  books 
now,  and  remember  it;  it  is  true. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1912,  p.  10. 

MODERN  REVELATION  is  NECESSARY.  We  are  to  under- 
stand, then,  that  God  does  not,  and  will  not  further  make 
known  his  will  to  men ;  that  what  he  has  said  suffices  ?  His 
will  to  Moses  and  Isaiah  and  John  is  abundant  for  modern 
followers  of  Christ?  The  Latter-day  Saints  take  issue  with 
this  doctrine,  and  pronounce  it  illogical,  inconsistent,  and 
untrue,  and  bear  testimony  to  all  the  world  that  God  lives 
and  that  he  reveals  his  will  to  men  who  believe  in  him  and 
who  obey  his  commandments,  as  much  in  our  day  as  at  any 


46  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

time  in  the  history  of  nations.  The  canon  of  scripture  is 
not  full.  God  has  never  revealed  at  any  time  that  he  would 
cease  to  speak  forever  to  men.  If  we  are  permitted  to  be- 
lieve that  "he  has  spoken,  we  must  and  do  believe  that  he 
continues  to  speak,  because  he  is  unchangeable. 

His  will  to  Abraham  did  not  suffice  for  Moses,  neither 
did  his  will  to  Moses  suffice  for  Isaiah.  Why?  Because 
their  different  missions  required  different  instructions;  and 
logically,  that  is  also  true  of  the  prophets  and  people  of 
today.  A  progressive  world  will  never  discover  all  truth 
until  its  inhabitants  become  familiar  with  all  the  knowledge 
of  the  Perfect  One.  How  shall  men  become  acquainted 
with  the  knowledge  of  the  Father?  Only  as  he  reveals  it 
to  them.  Now  if  we  are  permitted  to  believe  that  the  Lord 
revealed  himself  to  the  ancients  of  whose  deeds  we  read  in 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  it  seems  to  me  that  there  is  no  good 
reason  for  believing  that  it  is  not  necessary  that  he  should 
reveal  himself  in  this  day  to  others  who  desirre  to  be  guided 
by  his  Spirit  and  inspiration.  Every  new  truth  which  grows 
into  living  action  in  the  lives  of  men  is  a  revelation  in  itself 
from  God,  and  without  the  revelation  of  additional  truth, 
men  would  not  progress  in  this  world,  but,  left  to  themselves, 
would  retrograde,  being  cut  off  from  the  light  and  life  of 
the  great  fountain  of  all  intelligence,  the  Father  of  all. 

What  is  revelation  but  the  uncovering  of  new  truths, 
by  him  who  is  the  fountain  of  all  truth  ?  To  say  that  there  is 
no  need  of  new  revelation,  is  equivalent  to  saying  that  we 
have  no  need  of  new  truths — a  ridiculous  assertion. 

Now,  as  to  the  usefulness  of  modern  revelation,  that 
has  been  referred  to  above,  in  the  brief  treatment  of  its  need ; 
and  it  is  no  sign  that  revelation  is  useless  because  it  is  not 
proper  that  it  should  be  accepted  in  the  courts.  "Render 
unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's,  and  unto  God  the 
things  that  are  God's."  Revelation  given  for  the  personal 
knowledge  or  guidance  of  any  person  should  not  be  given 


REVELATION  47 

to  the  public,  either  in  a  civil  or  religious  capacity;  but  be- 
cause it  might  be  (and  in  such  cases  is)  considered  improper 
for  public  use,  it  is  no  sign  that  even  such  revelation  is  use- 
less to  the  person  for  whom  it  is  intended.  It  might  be  said 
in  passing,  however,  that  the  revelation  which  the  ministers 
were  so  troubled  about,  turned  out  to  be  correct  and  in  con- 
formity with  the  evidence,  and  the  decision  of  the  court  and 
jury. 

Our  testimony  is  that  God  lives,  and  that  he  speaks  by 
his  power  to  men  who  seek  him  and  believe  in  him,  thus 
making  known  his  will  to  them  in  matters  that  pertain,  not 
only  to  his  true  Church,  but  in  matters  that  pertain  to  each 
individual  who  seeks  him. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  5,  p. 
805,  1902. 

THEORY  AND  DIVINE  REVELATION.  Our  young  people 
are  diligent  students.  They  reach  out  after  truth  and  knowl- 
edge with  commendable  zeal,  and  in  so  doing  they  must 
necessarily  adopt  for  temporary  use,  many  theories  of  men. 
As  long,  however,  as  they  recognize  them  as  scaffolding 
useful  for  research  purposes,  there  can  be  no  special  harm 
in  them.  It  is  when  these  theories  are  settled  upon  as  basic 
truth  that  trouble  appears,  and  the  searcher  then  stands  in 
grave  danger  of  being  led  hopelessly  from  the  right  way. 

There  are  so  many  demonstrated,  practical,  material 
truths,  so  many  spiritual  certainties,  with  which  the  youth 
of  Zion  should  become  familiar,  that  it  appears  a  waste  of 
time  and  means,  and  detrimental  to  faith  and  religion  to 
enter  too  extensively  into  the  undemonstrated  theories  of 
men  on  philosophies  relating  to  the  origin  of  life,  or  the 
methods  adopted  by  an  Allwise  Creator  in  peopling  the  earth 
with  the  bodies  of  men,  birds  and  beasts.  Let  us  rather  turn 
our  abilities  to  the  practical  analysis  of  the  soil,  the  study 
of  the  elements,  the  productions  of  the  earth,  the  invention 
of  useful  machinery,  the  social  welfare  of  the  race,  and  its 
material  amelioration;  and  for  the  rest  cultivate  an  abiding 


48  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

faith  in  the  revealed  word  of  God  and  the  saving  principles 
of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  give  joy  in  this  world 
and  in  the  world  to  come  eternal  life  and  salvation. 

Philosophic  theories  of  life  have  their  place  and  use, 
but  it  is  not  in  the  classes  of  the  Church  schools,  and  par- 
ticularly are  they  out  of  place  here  or  anywhere  else, 
when  they  seek  to  supplant  the  revelations  of  God.  The 
ordinary  student  cannot  delve  into  these  subjects  deep 
enough  to  make  them  of  any  practical  use  to  him,  and  a 
smattering  of  knowledge  in  this  line  only  tends  to  upset  his 
simple  faith  in  the  gospel,  which  is  of  more  value  to  him  in 
life  than  all  the  learning  of  the  world  without  it. 

The  religion  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  is  not  hostile  to 
any  truth,  nor  to  scientific  search  for  truth.  "That  which  is 
demonstrated,  we  accept  with  joy,"  said  the  First  Presidency 
in  their  Christmas  greeting  to  the  Saints,  "but  vain  philos- 
ophy, human  theory  and  mere  speculations  of  men  we  do  not 
accept,  nor  do  we  adopt  anything  contrary  to  divine  revela- 
tion or  to  good  common  sense,  but  everything  that  tends  to 
right  conduct,  that  harmonizes  with  sound  morality  and 
increases  faith  in  Deity,  finds  favor  with  us,  no  matter 
where  it  may  be  found." 

A  good  motto  for  young  people  to  adopt,  who  are  de- 
termined to  delve  into  philosophic  theories,  is  to  search  all 
things,  but  be  careful  to  hold  on  only  to  that  which  is  true. 
The  truth  persists,  but  the  theories  of  philosophers  change 
and  are  overthrown.  What  men  use  today  as  a  scaffolding 
for  scientific  purposes  from  which  to  reach  out  into  the  un- 
known for  truth,  may  be  torn  down  tomorrow,  having  served 
its  purpose ;  but  faith  is  an  eternal  principle  through  which 
the  humble  believer  may  secure  everlasting  solace.  It  is  the 
only  way  to  find  God. 

Science  and  philosophy  through  all  the  ages  have  under- 
gone change  after  change.  Scarcely  a  century  has  passed 
but  they  have  introduced  new  theories  of  science  and  phil- 


REVELATION  49 

osophy,  that  supersede  the  old  traditions  and  the  old  faith 
and  the  old  doctrines  entertained  by  philosophers  and  sci- 
entists. These  things  may  undergo  continuous  changes,  but 
the  word  of  God  is  always  true,  is  always  right.  The  prin- 
ciples of  the  gospel  are  always  true,  the  principles  of  faith 
in  God,  repentance  from  sin,  baptism  for  the  remission  of 
sins  by  authority  of  God,  and  the  laying  on  of  hands  for  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost — these  principles  are  always  true,  and 
are  always  absolutely  necessary  for  the  salvation  of  the  chil- 
dren of  men,  no  matter  who  they  are  and  where  they  are. 
No  other  name  under  heaven  is  given  but  that  of  Jesus 
Christ,  by  which  you  can  be  saved  or  exalted  in  the  kingdom 
of  God.  Not  only  has  God  declared  them,  not  only  has 
Christ  declared  these  principles,  by  his  voice  to  his  disciples, 
from  generation  to  generation,  in  the  old  time,  but  in  these 
latter  days,  they  have  taken  up  the  same  testimony  and 
declared  these  things  to  the  world.  They  are  true  today  as 
they  were  then,  and  we  must  obey  these  things. — Improve- 
ment Era,  Vol.  14,  p.  548. 

REVELATION  AND  LEGAL  EVIDENCE.  Recently  a  man 
charged  with  the  murder  of  another  man  was  examined  be- 
fore a  committing  magistrate  in  Salt  Lake  City.  The  father- 
in-law  of  the  murdered  man,  during  the  examination  on  the 
part  of  the  State,  related  a  conversation  had  between  him- 
self and  the  accused  soon  after  the  commission  of  the  crime. 
During  the  conversation,  according  to  newspaper  report, 
the  father-in-law  of  the  murdered  man  laid  the  crime  at  the 
door  of  the  accused.  In  the  cross-examination  the  attorney 
for  the  defendant  pressed  the  witness  as  to  how  he  knew 
that  the  accused  was  guilty  of  the  crime.  The  reply,  as 
given  in  the  press,  was,  because  God  had  revealed  it  to  him. 
It  does  not  appear  from  the  further  proceedings  in  the  case 
that  the  testimony  was  excepted  to  or  withdrawn,  or  that 
the  magistrate  informed  the  witness  that  such  evidence  was 
incompetent  and  could  not  be  received.  The  statement 


50  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

gave  rise  to  comment  in  the  press  and  has  been  the  subject 
of  discourse  from  the  pulpit.  Of  course,  every  person  must 
know  that  such  evidence  is  not  admissible  in  a  court  of  law, 
and  if  it  had  been  in  a  trial  before  a  jury  it  would  have  been 
the  duty  of  the  judge  to  order  the  testimony  stricken  out, 
and  in  the  charge  to  the  jury,  they  would  have  been  warned 
to  disregard  it  altogether.  In  view  of  the  probability  that 
there  are  those  who  may  persist  in  the  association  of  such 
evidence  with  the  religious  body  of  which  the  witness  is  a 
member,  it  may  be  proper  to  say,  without  discrediting  in  the 
least  the  witness'  conviction  of  the  revelation  he  had  re- 
ceived, that  no  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints  should,  for  one  moment,  regard  such  tes- 
timony as  admissible  in  a  court  of  law,  and  to  make  the  case 
perfectly  clear  it  may  be  further  stated  that  such  evidence 
would  not  be  permissible  even  in  a  Church  court,  where 
rules  of  evidence,  though  not  so  technical,  are  founded 
largely  upon  the  same  principles  that  govern  the  rules  of 
evidence  in  a  court  of  law.  Any  attempt,  therefore,  to  make 
it  appear  that  such  evidence  is  in  keeping  with  the  tenets  of 
the  "Mormon"  faith  is  wholly  unjustified. — Juvenile  In- 
structor, p.  114,  Feb.  15,  1902,  Vol.  37. 

PROPER  CHANNELS  FOR  REVELATION.  It  has  sometimes 
been  sorrowful  to  see  respected  members  of  the  Church,  men 
who  should  know  better,  allow  themselves  to  become  the 
tools  of  seductive  spirits.  Such  men  seem,  for  the  time  at 
least,  to  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  the  Lord  has  established 
on  earth  the  Priesthood  in  its  fulness ;  and  that  by  direct 
revelation  and  commandment  from  heaven ;  that  he  has  insti- 
tuted an  order  or  government  that  is  beyond  the  capacity, 
and  that  is  superior  to  the  wisdom  and  learning  and  under- 
standing of  man,  so  far,  indeed,  that  it  seems  impossible  for 
the  human  mind,  unaided  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  to  compre- 
hend the  beauties,  powers,  and  character  of  the  Holy  Priest- 
hood. It  seems  difficult  for  men  to  comprehend  the  work- 


REVELATION  51 

ings  of  the  priesthood,  its  legitimate  authority,  its  scope 
and  power;  and  yet  by  the  light  of  the  Spirit  it  is  easily 
comprehended,  but  not  understanding  it,  men  are  easily  de- 
ceived by  seductive  spirits  that  are  abroad  in  the  world. 
They  are  led  to  believe  that  something  is  wrong,  and  the 
next  thing  that .  transpires,  they  find  themselves  believing 
that  they  are  chosen  specially  to  set  things  right.  It  is  very 
unfortunate  for  a  man  to  be  taken  in  this  snare;  for  be  it 
understood  by  the  Latter-day  Saints  that  as  long  as  the 
servants  of  God  are  living  pure  lives,  are  honoring  the 
priesthood  conferred  upon  them,  and  endeavoring  to  the  best 
of  their  knowledge  to  magnify  their  offices  and  callings,  to 
which  they  have  been  duly  chosen  by  the  voice  of  the  peo- 
ple and  the  priesthood  and  sanctioned  by  the  approval  of 
God,  so  long  as  the  Lord  has  any  communication  to  make  to 
the  children  of  men,  or  any  instructions  to  impart  to  his 
Church,  he  will  make  such  communication  through  the  le- 
gally appointed  channel  of  the  priesthood;  he  will  never  go 
outside  of  it,  as  long,  at  least,  as  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints  exists  in  its  present  form  on  the  earth. 
It  is  not  the  business  of  any  individual  to  rise  up  as 
a  revelator,  as  a  prophet,  as  a  seer,  as  an  inspired  man, 
to  give  revelation  for  the  guidance  of  the  Church,  or  to 
assume  to  dictate  to  the  presiding  authorities  of  the 
Church  in  any  part  of  the  world,  much  less  in  the  midst 
of  Zion,  where  the  organizations  of  the  priesthood  are 
about  perfect,  where  everything  is  complete,  even  to  the 
organization  of  a  branch.  It  is  the  right  of  individuals  to 
be  inspired  and  to  receive  manifestations  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
for  their  personal  guidance  to  strengthen  their  faith,  and  to 
encourage  them  in  works  of  righteousness,  in  being  faithful 
and  observing  and  keeping  the  commandments  which  God 
has  given  unto  them;  it  is  the  privilege  of  every  man  and 
woman  to  receive  revelation  to  this  end,  but  not  further. 
The  moment  an  individual  rises  up  assuming  the  right  to 


52  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

control  and  to  dictate,  or  to  sit  in  judgment  on  his  brethren, 
especially  upon  those  who  preside,  he  should  be  promptly 
checked,  or  discord,  division  and  confusion  would  be  the 
result.  Every  man  and  woman  in  this  Church  should  know 
better  than  to  yield  to  such  a  spirit ;  the  moment  that  such  a 
feeling  presents  itself  to  them  they  should  rebuke  it,  as  it  is 
in  direct  antagonism  to  the  order  of  the  priesthood,  and  to 
the  spirit  and  genius  of  this  work.  We  can  accept  nothing 
as  authoritative  but  that  which  comes  directly  through  the 
appointed  channel,  the  constituted  organizations  of  the 
priesthood,  which  is  the  channel  that  God  has  appointed 
through  which  to  make  known  his  mind  and  will  to  the 
world. 

Through  Joseph,  then,  the  Lord  revealed  himself  to 
the  world,  and  through  him  he  chose  the  first  elders  of  the 
Church — men  who  were  honest  in  their  hearts ;  men  who 
he  knew  would  receive  the  word,  and  labor  in  connection 
with  Joseph  in  this  great,  important  undertaking ;  and  all 
that  have  been  ordained  to  the  priesthood,  and  all  that  have 
been  appointed  to  any  position  whatever  in  this  Church  have 
received  their  authority  and  commission  through  this  chan- 
nel, appointed  of  God,  with  Joseph  at  the  head.  This  is 
the  order,  and  it  could  not  be  otherwise.  God  will  not  raise 
up  another  prophet  and  another  people  to  do  the  work  that 
we  have  been  appointed  to  do.  He  will  never  ignore  those 
who  have  stood  firm  and  true  from  the  commencement,  as  it 
were,  of  this  work,  and  who  are  still  firm  and  faithful,  inas- 
much as  they  continue  faithful  to  their  trust.  There  is  no 
question  in  my  mind  of  their  ever  proving  themselves  un- 
faithful, as  a  body,  for  if  any  of  them  were  to  become  un- 
worthy in  his  sight,  he  would  remove  them  out  of  their  place 
and  call  others  from  the  ranks  to  fill  their  positions.  And 
thus  his  priesthood  will  ever  be  found  to  be  composed  of  the 
right  men  for  the  place,  of  men  whose  backs  will  be  fitted 
for  the  burden,  men  through  whom  he  can  work  and  regu- 


REVELATION  53 

late  the  affairs  of  his  Church  according  to  the  counsels  of  his 
own  will.  And  the  moment  that  individuals  look  to  any  other 
source,  that  moment  they  throw  themselves  open  to  the  se- 
ductive influences  of  Satan,  and  render  themselves  liable  to 
become  servants  of  the  devil;  they  lose  sight  of  the  true 
order  through  which  the  blessings  of  the  priesthood  are  to 
be  enjoyed;  they  step  outside  of  the  pale  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God,  and  are  on  dangerous  ground.  Whenever  you  see  a 
man  rise  up  claiming  to  have  received  direct  revelation  from 
the  Lord  to  the  Church,  independent  of  the  order  and  channel 
of  the  priesthood,  you  may  set  him  down  as  an  imposter. 
God  has  not  called  you  to  go  out  to  the  world  to  be  taught, 
or  to  receive  revelations  through  apostates  or  strangers ;  but 
he  has  called  and  ordained  you  and  sent  you  forth  to  teach 
and  lead  people  in  the  paths  of  righteousness  and  salvation. 

Now,  how  should  it  be?  I  will  tell  you.  In  the  first 
place  every  person  should  know  that  the  gospel  is  true,  as 
this  is  every  one's  privilege  who  is  baptized  and  receives  the 
Holy  Ghost.  A  man  may  be  grieved  in  his  feelings  be- 
cause of  some  difficulty  between  himself  and  President  Tay- 
lor, or  Cannon,  or  myself ;  he  may  have  feelings  in  his  heart 
which  lead  him  to  think  that  he  could  not  sustain  us  in  his 
faith  and  prayers ;  but  if  this  should  be  the  case,  what  is  the 
course  for  him  to  pursue  ?  He  should  say  in  his  heart,  "God 
has  established  his  kingdom,  and  his  priesthood  is  upon  the 
earth;  and  notwithstanding  my  dislike  for  certain  men,  I 
know  that  the  gospel  is  true,  and  that  God  is  with  his  peo- 
ple ;  and  that  if  I  will  do  my  duty  and  keep  his  command- 
ments, the  clouds  will  roll  by,  and  the  mists  will  disappear, 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  will  come  more  fully  to  my  relief,  and 
by  and  by  I  will  be  able  to  see — if  I  am  in  error,  wherein  I 
erred,  and  then  I  will  repent  of  it,  for  I  know  that  every 
wrong  thing  will  yet  be  made  right."  I  think  all  men 
should  feel  that  way. 

Never  is  there  but  one  appointed  at  a  time  to  hold  the 


54  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

keys  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  pertaining  to  the  earth.  While 
Christ  remained  on  the  earth  he  held  them ;  but  when  he 
departed,  he  committed  them  to  Peter,  he  being  the  president 
or  chief  of  the  apostles ;  and  it  was  his  right  to  direct  and  to 
receive  revelation  for  the  Church,  and  to  give  counsel  to 
all  the  brethren.  After  Satan  and  wicked  men  had  pre- 
vailed against  the  Church,  crucified  the  Savior  and  killed  the 
apostles,  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  were  taken  from  the  earth. 
John  the  Revelator  describes  it  most  clearly.  And  from  that 
time  until  Joseph  Smith  was  called  by  the  voice  of  the  Al- 
mighty, and  ordained  to  hold  those  keys,  no  man  held  them 
upon  the  earth  that  we  know  of.  It  is  true  the  Lord  did 
appoint  other  twelve  upon  this  continent,  and  his  Church 
flourished  and  prospered  in  this  land  for  many  years,  but 
the  Lord  declared  that  Peter,  James  and  John,  and  the 
twelve  that  walked  with  him  at  Jerusalem,  held  the  presi- 
dency over  them.  God  may  reveal  himself  to  different  na- 
tions, and  establish  among  them  the  same  gospel  and  ordin- 
ances as  he  did  anciently,  if  necessity  require,  but  if  these 
nations  should  be  joined  together  there  would  be  one  head, 
and  all  the  rest  would  be  subordinate.  So  that  from  the 
time  that  the  keys  of  this  priesthood  were  taken  from  the 
earth  until  they  were  received  by  Joseph  Smith,  no  man 
ever  possessed  that  priesthood,  nor  the  keys  thereof,  with 
authority  to  build  up  the  Zion  of  God,  and  prepare  a  church 
or  people  for  the  second  coming  of  Christ,  "as  a  bride  is 
adorned  for  the  bridegroom,"  unless  it  may  have  been  among 
the  lost  tribes,  yet  of  this  we  have  no  knowledge,  but  if  so 
they  would  receive  those  keys  necessary  to  administer  in  the 
ordinances  of  the  gospel  for  their  salvation.  We  know  not 
of  their  existence  or  the  condition  in  which  they  are  placed. 
The  gospel  that  is  given  to  them  is  suited  to  their  needs  and 
conditions,  and  is  for  their  salvation,  not  ours;  and  yet,  it 
will  be  the  same  gospel.  And  God  will  not  call  one  from 
them  to  give  to  us  the  priesthood,  or  to  give  to  us  the  keys 


REVELATION  55 

and  blessings,  or  to  point  out  the  organizations  of  the  King- 
dom of  God,  because  he  has  established  that  priesthood 
here,  and  we  have  it.  If  he  has  any  communication  to  make 
to  us  he  will  send  his  messengers  to  us.  And  in  this  way 
he  will  deliver  his  law  and  give  his  mind  and  will  to  the 
people.  He  will  do  it  through  the  ordained  channels  of  the 
priesthood  which  he  acknowledges  and  which  he  has  estab- 
lished in  the  earth.  He  will  go  nowhere  else  to  do  it,  neither 
will  he  send  us  to  them,  unless  they  should  be  without  the 
priesthood  and  it  becomes  necessary  to  take  the  blessings  of 
the  gospel  to  them,  and  I  presume  that  will  be  the  case. 

When  Joseph  received  the  keys  of  the  priesthood,  he 
alone  on  the  earth  held  them;  that  is,  he  was  the  first,  he 
stood  at  the  head.  It  was  promised  that  he  should  not  lose 
them  nor  be  removed  out  of  his  place,  as  long  as  he  was 
faithful.  And  when  he  died,  President  Young  was  chosen 
by  the  voice  of  the  people,  and  sanctioned  by  the  voice  of 
God.  He  held  the  priesthood  which  was  after  the  order  of 
the  Son  of  God,  with  the  keys  which  pertain  to  the  presi- 
dency of  that  priesthood  upon  earth.  He  received  it  from 
the  hands  of  Joseph,  directly  from  him  or  by  his  authority ; 
and  he  held  it  until  his  death.  When  he  died,  that  mantle 
fell  upon  John  Taylor,  and  while  he  lives  he  will  hold  that 
authority,  inasmuch  as  he  is  faithful.  So  it  was  with  Pres- 
ident Brigham  Young:  he  held  it  on  condition  of  his  faith- 
fulness. If  any  man  in  that  position  should  become  unfaith- 
ful, God  would  remove  him  out  of  his  place.  I  testify  in 
the  name  of  Israel's  God  that  he  will  not  suffer  the  head  of 
the  Church,  whom  he  has  chosen  to  stand  at  the  head,  to 
transgress  his  laws  and  apostatize;  the  moment  he  should 
take  a  course  that  would  in  time  lead  to  it,  God  would  take 
him  away.  Why?  Because  to  suffer  a  wicked  man  to  oc- 
cupy that  position  would  be  to  allow,  as  it  were,  the  fountain 
to  become  corrupted,  which  is  something  he  will  never 
permit. 


56  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

The  moment  a  man  says  he  will  not  submit  to  the  legally 
constituted  authority  of  the  Church,  whether  it  be  the  teach- 
ers, the  bishopric,  the  high  council,  his  quorum,  or  the  First 
Presidency,  and  in  his  heart  confirms  it  and  carries  it  out, 
tha't  moment  he  cuts  himself  off  from  the  privileges  and 
blessings  of  the  priesthood  and  Church,  and  severs  himself 
from  the  people  of  God,  for  he  ignores  the  authority  that  the 
Lord  has  instituted  in  his  Church.  These  are  the  men  that 
generally  get  crochets  in  their  heads,  that  get  inspiration 
(from  beneath),  and  that  are  often  so  desirous  to  guide  the 
Church,  and  to  sit  in  judgment  upon  the  priesthood.  The 
only  safe  way  for  us  to  do,  as  individuals,  is  to  live  so  hum- 
bly, so  righteously  and  so  faithfully  before  God  that  we  may 
possess  his  Spirit  to  that  extent  that  we  shall  be  able  to 
judge  righteously,  and  discern  between  truth  and  error,  be- 
tween right  and  wrong;  and  then  we  shall  know  when  a 
decision  is  rendered  against  us  that  in  ninety-nine  cases 
out  of  a  hundred,  we  are  in  error,  and  that  the  decision  is 
right ;  and  although  we  may,  at  the  time,  not  be  fully  able  to 
see  and  feel  its  justness,  yet  will  be  constrained  to  say  that 
inasmuch  as  there  are  sixteen  chances  against  one  for  me  to 
be  wrong,  "I  will  gracefully  and  humbly  submit."  The  pith 
of  the  matter  is :  the  Lord  has  established  his  Church,  organ- 
ized his  priesthood,  and  conferred  authority  upon  certain 
individuals,  councils  and  quorums,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  the 
people  of  God  to  live  so  that  they  shall  know  that  these 
are  acceptable  unto  him.  If  we  begin  to  cut  off  this  one  and 
that  one,  and  set  their  authority  aside,  we  may  just  as  well 
at  once  set  God  aside,  and  say  he  has  no  right  to  dictate. — 
Journal  of  Discourses,  Vol.  24,  pp.  187-194,  1884,  Ogden, 
June  21,  1883. 

THE  DOCTRINE  AND  .COVENANTS.  I  say  to  my  brethren 
that  the  book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants  contains  some  of 
the  most  glorious  principles  ever  revealed  to  the  world,  some 
that  have  been  revealed  in  greater  fulness  than  they  were 


REVELATION  57 

ever  revealed  before  to  the  world;  and  this,  in  fulfilment  of 
the  promises  of  the  ancient  prophets  that  in  the  latter  times 
the  Lord  would  reveal  things  to  the  world  that  had  been 
kept  hidden  from  the  foundation  thereof;  and  the  Lord  has 
revealed  them  through  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith. — Oct. 
C.  R.,  1913,  p.  9. 

How  TO  READ  THE  BIBLE.  That  which  characterizes 
above  all  else  the  inspiration  and  divinity  of  the  Scriptures 
is  the  spirit  in  which  they  are  written  and  the  spiritual  wealth 
they  convey  to  those  who  faithfully  and  conscientiously  read 
them.  Our  attitude,  therefore,  toward  the  Scriptures  should 
be  in  harmony  with  the  purposes  for  which  they  were  writ- 
ten. They  are  intended  to  enlarge  man's  spiritual  endow- 
ments and  to  reveal  and  intensify  the  bond  of  relationship 
between  him  and  his  God.  The  Bible,  as  all  other  books  of 
Holy  Writ,  to  be  appreciated  must  be  studied  by  those  spir- 
itually inclined  and  who  are  in  quest  of  spiritual  truths. — 
Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  47,  p.  204,  April,  1912. 

PERSECUTION  FOLLOWS  REVELATION.  I  do  not  believe 
there  ever  was  a  people  who  were  guided  by  revelation,  or 
acknowledged  of  the  Lord  as  his  people,  that  were  not  hated 
and  persecuted  by  the  wicked  and  the  corrupt,  and  perhaps 
no  people  were  ever  more  persecuted  than  this  people  would 
be  if  it  were  in  the  power  of  the  enemy  today  to  persecute 
us  as  it  was  in  the  power  of  Nero  and  the  Romans  to  per- 
secute the  Saints  in  their  day.  There  never  was  a  time 
when  it  was  more  fixed  and  determined  in  the  heart  of  the 
wicked  to  fight  against  and  destroy  the  kingdom  from  the 
earth  than  now,  and  their  failure  will  be  due  only  to  the 
impossibility  of  the  task  they  have  undertaken.  And  this  is 
an  evidence  to  every  one  that  God's  priesthood  is  here,  that 
many  of  the  Saints  are  magnifying  their  callings  and  honor- 
ing the  priesthood  and  also  the  Lord,  both  with  their  lives 
and  with  their  substance,  which  are  his, — Deseret  Weekly 
News,  Vol.  24,  p.  708,  1875. 


CHAPTER    IV 
Free  Agency 

THE  LATTER-DAY  SAINTS  A  FREE  PEOPLE.  We  will  now 
present  before  the  conference  the  names  of  the  general  au- 
thorities of  the  Church,  with  the  earnest  desire  that  all  the 
members  of  the  Church  present,  who  by  reason  of  their 
good  standing  before  the  Lord  are  entitled  to  the  privilege, 
will  express  their  will  according  to  the  God-given  agency 
that  every  man  in  the  world  enjoys,  and  which  is  not  les- 
sened, but  rather  increased,  in  all  those  who  have  made  cove- 
nant with  God  by  sacrifice  and  through  obedience  to  the 
principles  of  the  gospel.  The  freedom  of  the  Latter-day 
Saints  has  never  been  curtailed  nor  lessened  one  whit  by 
their  becoming  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  Rather 
has  it  been  enlarged.  There  are  no  freer  people  upon  the 
face  of  the  earth  today  than  the  Latter-day  Saints.  They 
are  bound  to  the  Church  by  no  ties  or  strings,  but  their 
own  conviction  of  the  truth.  And  whenever  a  man  makes  up 
his  mind  that  he  has  had  enough  of  what  is  called  "Mor- 
monism,"  all  he  has  to  do  is  to  make  it  known,  and  we  will 
sever  the  bond  that  unites  him  with  the  body  and  let  him 
go  his  own  way,  only  bearing  toward  him  the  feeling  of 
sympathy  and  of  true  brotherly  kindness,  and  wishing  him 
still  the  mercies  of  God.  We  will  cry,  "Father,  have  mercy 
upon  him,"  because  he  knows  not  what  he  is  doing.  For 
when  a  man  denies  the  truth,  when  he  departs  from  the  right 
way,  when  he  rejects  the  right  of  God  to  counsel  in  the 
affairs  of  men,  he  is  either  ignorant  or  wilfully  wicked,  and 
it  only  excites  our  pity  for  him-  As  the  Savior  cried  upon 
the  cross,  so  we  will  cry  in  the  same  spirit,  Father,  forgive 
him ;  have  mercy  upon  him ;  for  he  knows  not  what  he  does. 


FREE  AGENCY  59 

Therefore,  we  expect  only  those  to  vote  at  this  time  who  are 
members  of  the  Church  in  good  standing ;  but  all  such  we  do 
expect  to  vote,  according  to  their  own  free  will,  whether  it 
be  yea  or  nay.  However,  we  wish  it  distinctly  understood 
that  no  questions  upon  these  matters  will  be  discussed  in 
this  conference ;  for  this  is  not  the  place  to  discuss  questions 
of  difference  or  of  feeling  that  we  may  possess  one  towards 
another.  Still  we  .can  manifest  our  approval  or  our  disap- 
proval by  the  uplifted  hand;  and  if  there  are  any  disap- 
provals, we  will  have  them  heard  and  adjusted  later  on,  but 
not  here.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1903,  p.  84'. 

THE  USE  OF  FREEDOM  AND  HUMAN  JUDGMENT.  I 
think  that  in  the  realms  of  liberty,  and  the  exercise  of  hu- 
man judgment,  all  men  should  exercise  extreme  caution, 
that  they  do  not  change  or  abolish  those  things  which  God 
has  willed  and  has  inspired  to  be  done.  It  has  been  in  this 
realm  of  freedom,  and  the  exercise  of  human  judgment  that 
most  of  the  evils  that  have  occurred  in  the  world  have  been 
done — the  martyrdom  of  Saints,  the  crucifixion  of  the  Son 
of  God  himself,  and  much  of  the  apostasy  and  departure 
from  the  work  of  righteousness,  and  from  the  laws  of  God, 
have  occurred  in  this  realm  of  freedom  and  the  exercise  of 
human  judgment.  God  in  his  boundless  wisdom  and  gra- 
cious mercy  has  provided  means,  and  has  shown  the  way  to 
the  children  of  men  whereby,  even  in  the  realms  of  free- 
dom and  the  exercise  of  their  own  judgment,  they  may  in- 
dividually go  unto  God  in  faith  and  prayer,  and  find  out 
what  should  guide  and  direct  their  human  judgment  and 
wisdom ;  and  I  do  not  want  the  Latter-day  Saints  to  forget 
that  this  is  their  privilege.  I  would  rather  that  they  should 
seek  God  for  a  counselor  and  guide,  than  to  follow  the  wild 
harangues  of  political  leaders,  or  leaders  of  any  other  cult. 
-Oct.  C.  R.,  1912,  p.  41-42. 

LATTER-DAY  SAINTS  SHOULD  EXERCISE  FREE  AGENCY. 
We  desire  that  the  Latter-day  Saints  will  exercise  the  liberty 


60  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

wherewith  they  have  been  made  free  by  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ;  for  they  are  entitled  to  know  the  right  from  the 
wrong,  to  see  the  truth  and  draw  the  line  between  it  and 
error;  and  it  is  their  privilege  to  judge  for  themselves  and  to 
act  upon  their  own  free  agency  with  regard  to  their  choice 
as  to  sustaining  or  otherwise  those  who  should  exercise 
the  presiding  functions  among  them.  We  desire  the  Latter- 
day  Saints  at  this  conference  to  exercisq  their  prerogative, 
which  is,  to  vote  as  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  prompts  them 
on  the  measures  and  the  men  that  may  be  presented  unto 
them—Apr..  C.  R.,  1904,  p.  73. 

How  TO  OBTAIN  BLESSINGS  OF  GOD.  There  are  bless- 
ings which  pertain  to  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  and  to  the 
world  to  come,  which  cannot  be  secured  by  personal  influ- 
ence, nor  be  bought  with  money,  and  which  no  man  by  his 
own  intelligence  or  wisdom  can  obtain  except  through  com-- 
pliance  with  certain  ordinances,  laws  and  commandments 
which  have  been  given.  And  it  is  well,  in  my  judgment,  for 
the  Latter-day  Saints  to  continue  to  bear  in  mind  that  the 
inestimable  blessings  of  the  gospel  have  been  bestowed  upon 
them  through  their  faith,  that  a  remission  of  sins  has  been 
obtained  by  baptism  and  repentance,  and  that  it  is  only 
through  continuing  faithful  that  they  can  retain  the  gifts 
and  blessings  which  pertain  to  eternal  life.  There  are  many 
blessings,  however,  which  are  common  to  the  human  fam- 
ily, which  all  enjoy,  without  regard  to  their  moral  status  or 
religious  convictions.  God  has  given  to  all  men  an  agency,' 
and  has  granted  to  us  the  privilege  to  serve  him  or  serve 
him  not,  to  do  that  which  is  right  or  that  which  is  wrong, 
and  this  privilege  is  given  to  all  men  irrespective  of  creed, 
color  or  condition.  The  wealthy  have  this  agency,  the  poor 
have  this  agency,  and  no  man  is  deprived  by  any  power  of 
God  from  exercising  it  in  the  fullest  and  in  the  freest  man- 
ner. This  agency  has  been  given  to  all.  This  is  a  blessing 
that  God  has  bestowed  upon  the  world  of  mankind,  upon  all 


FREE  AGENCY  61 

his  children  alike.  But  he  will  hold  us  strictly  to  an  account 
for  the  use  that  we  make  of  this  agency,  and  as  it  was  said 
of  Cain,  so  it  will  be  said  of  us:  "If  thou  doest  well,  shalt 
thou  not  be  accepted?  And  if  thou  doest  not  well,  sin  lieth 
at  the  door-"  There  are,  however,  certain  blessings  which 
God  bestows  upon  the  children  of  men  only  upon  the  condi- 
tion of  the  rightful  exercise  of  this  agency.  For  instance, 
no  man  can  obtain  a  remission  of  his  sins  but  by  repentance 
and  baptism  by  one  having  authority.  If  we  would  be  free 
from  sin,  from  its  effects,  from  its  power,  we  must  obey  this 
law  which  God  has  revealed,  or  we  never  can  obtain  a  remis- 
sion of  sins.  Therefore,  while  God  has  bestowed  upon  all 
men,  irrespective  of  condition,  this  agency  to  choose  good 
or  evil,  he  has  not  and  will  not  bestow  upon  the  children  of 
men  a  remission  of  sins  but  by  their  obedience  to  law.  There- 
fore, the  whole  world  lies  in  sin  and  is  under  condemnation, 
inasmuch  as  light  has  come  unto  the  world  and  men  will  not 
place  themselves  in  a  proper  position  before  the  Lord.  And 
this  condemnation  rests  with  tenfold  force  upon  all  who  have 
yielded  obedience  to  this  law,  and  have  once  received  a  re- 
mission of  their  sins,  but  have  returned  unto  sin,  and  have 
forgotten  or  disregarded  the  covenants  they  made  in  the 
waters  of  baptism.  All  men  are  blessed  with  the  strength 
of  their  bodies,  with  the  use  of  their  minds,  and  with  the  right 
to  exercise  the  faculties  with  which  they  are  endowed  in  a 
way  that  seemeth  good  to  their  sight,  without  regard  to  re- 
ligion. But  God  has  not  and  will  not  suffer  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  be  bestowed  upon  any  man  or  woman,  except 
through  compliance  with  the  laws  of  God.  Therefore,  no 
man  can  obtain  a  remission  of  sins;  no  man  can  obtain  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  no  man  can  obtain  the  revelations 
of  God;  no  man  can  obtain  the  priesthood,  and  the  rights, 
powers  and  privileges  thereof;  no  man  can  become  an  heir 
of  God  and  a  joint  heir  with  Jesus  Christ,  except  through 
compliance  with  the  requirements  of  heaven.  These  are  uni- 


62  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

versal  blessings,  they  are  great  and  inestimable  privileges 
which  pertain  to  the  gospel  and  to  the  plan  of  life  and  salva- 
tion, which  are  open  and  free  to  all  on  certain  conditions,  but 
which  no  persons  beneath  the  heavens  can  enjoy,  but 
through  walking  in  the  channel  that  God  has  marked  out  by 
which  they  can  obtain  them.  And  these  privileges  and 
blessings  when  obtained  may  be  forfeited,  and  perhaps  lost 
for  all  eternity,  unless  we  continue  steadfast  in  the  course 
that  is  marked  out  for  us  to  pursue.  It  is  well,  in  my  judg- 
ment, that  the  Latter-day  Saints  do  not  lose  sight  of  the 
great  privilege  that  has  been  bestowed  upon  them.  No  man 
can  become  a  citizen  of  the  kingdom  of  God  but  by  enter- 
ing in  at  the  door;  there  are  thousands  and  tens  of  thou- 
sands, aye,  millions  of  people  who  will  never  become  citizens 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  this  world,  because  they  fail  to 
exercise  the  agency  and  the  power  that  have  been  given  to 
them,  in  the  right  direction.  Nevertheless,  they  enjoy  many 
of  the  blessings  that  are  bestowed  upon  the  world  in  com- 
mon. The  sun  shines  upon  the  evil  and  the  good;  but  the 
Holy  Ghost  descends  only  upon  the  righteous,  and  upon 
those  who  are  forgiven  of  their  sins.  The  rain  descends 
upon  the  evil  and  upon  the  good;  but  the  rights  of  the 
priesthood  are  conferred,  and  the  doctrine  of  the  priesthood 
distils  as  the  dews  of  heaven  upon  the  souls  of  those  only 
who  receive  it  in  God's  own  appointed  way.  The  favor  of 
heaven,  the  acknowledgment  of  the  Almighty  of  his  children 
upon  the  earth  as  his  sons  and  his  daughters,  can  only  be 
secured  through  obedience  to  the  laws  which  he  has  revealed. 
Riches,  or  the  wealth  of  the  world,  cannot  purchase  these 
things.  Simon  Magus  desired  to  purchase  the  power  to  cast 
out  devils  with  money,  but  Peter  said  unto  him,  "Thy  money 
perish  with  thee."  These  blessings,  powers  and  privileges 
are  not  to  be  purchased  except  by  the  atonement  of  Christ; 
they  are  not  to  be  obtained  by  personal  influence,  wealth, 
position  or  power,  or  in  any  other  way  except  the  direct  way 


FREE  AGENCY  63 

in  which  God  has  decreed  that  they  should  be  obtained.  Now, 
so  long  as  the  Latter-day  Saints  are  content  to  obey  the  com- 
mandments of  God,  to  appreciate  the  privileges  and  bless- 
ings which  they  enjoy  in  the  Church,  and  will  use  their 
time,  their  substance,  in  honor  to  the  name  of  God,  to  build 
up  Zion,  and  to  establish  truth  and  righteousness  in  the 
earth,  so  long  our  heavenly  Father  is  bound  by  his  oath  and 
covenant  to  protect  them  from  every  opposing  foe,  and  to 
help  them  to  overcome  every  obstacle  that  can  possibly  be 
arrayed  against  them,  or  thrown  in  their  pathway;  but  the 
moment  a  community  begins  to  be  wrapt  up  in  themselves, 
becomes  selfish,  becomes  engrossed  in  the  temporalities  of 
life,  and  put  their  faith  in  riches,  that  moment  the  power  of 
God  begins  to  withdraw  from  them,  and  if  they  repent  not 
the  Holy  Spirit  will  depart  from  them  entirely,  and  they 
will  be  left  to  themselves.  That  which  was  given  them  will 
be  taken  away,  they  will  lose  that  which  they  had,  for  they 
will  not  be  worthy  of  it.  God  is  just,  as  well  as  merciful, 
and  we  need  not  expect  favors  at  the  hand  of  the  Almighty 
except  as  we  merit  them,  at  least  in  the  honest  desires  of  our 
hearts,  and  the  desire  and  intent  will  not  always  avail  unless 
our  acts  correspond.  For  we  are  engaged  in  a  literal  work, 
a  reality ;  and  we  must  practice  as  well  as  profess.  We  must 
be  what  God  requires  us  to  be,  or  else  we  are  not  his  people, 
nor  the  Zion  which  he  designs  to  gather  together  and  to 
build  up  in  the  latter  days  upon  the  earth. — Journal  of  Dis- 
courses, Vol.  24,  1884,  pp.  173-178. 


CHAPTER  V 

God  and  Man 

GOD  HAS  DIRECTED  His  LATTER-DAY  WORK.  It  has  not 
been  by  the  wisdom  of  man  that  this  people  have  been 
directed  in  their  course  until  the  present ;  it  has  been  by  the 
wisdom  of  him  who  is  above  man,  whose  knowledge  is 
greater  than  that  of  man,  and  whose  power  is  above  the 
power  of  man;  for  it  is  unto  God,  our  Father  we  are  in- 
debted for  the  mercies  we  have  enjoyed  and  for  the  present 
prosperous  condition  of  the  people  of  God  throughout  this 
intermountain  region  and  throughout  the  world.  The  hand 
of  the  Lord  may  not  be  visible  to  all.  There  may  be  many 
who  cannot  discern  the  workings  of  God's  will  in  the  pro- 
gress and  development  of  this  great  latter-day  work,  but 
there  are  those  who  see  in  every  hour  and  in  every  moment 
of  the  existence  of  the  Church,  from  its  beginning  until  now, 
the  overruling,  almighty  hand  of  Him  who  sent  His  Only 
Begotten  Son  to  the  world  to  become  a  sacrifice  for  the  sin 
of  the  world,  that  as  he  was  lifted  up  so  he,  by  reason  of 
his  righteousness  and  power  and  the  sacrifice  which  he  has 
made,  might  lift  up  unto  God  all  the  children  of  men  who 
would  hearken  to  his  voice,  receive  his  message  and  obey 
his  law.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1904,  p.  2. 

A  PERSONAL  KNOWLEDGE  OF  GOD.  We  are  not  depend- 
ent for  this  upon  the  written  word,  nor  upon  the  knowl- 
edge possessed  by  the  ancient  prophets  and  apostles.  We 
depend  only  upon  God  as  he  reveals  himself  today  and  ad- 
ministers unto  men  by  the  power  of  his  Holy  Spirit.  And 
all  men  in  the  world,  not  only  the  Latter-day  Saints,  but 
those  who  have  never  embraced  the  gospel,  have  the  same 
privilege  that  we  have,  if  they  will  take  the  course  which  God 


GOD  AND  MAN  6,5 

has  marked  out.  It  is  their  privilege  to  come  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  this  truth  and  to  understand  these  things  for  them- 
selves. We  have  derived  this  knowledge  from  the  Lord, 
not  from  man.  Man  cannot  give  this  knowledge.  I  may 
tell  you  what  I  know,  but  that  is  not  knowledge  to  you.  If 
I  have  learned  something  through  prayer,  supplication,  and 
perseverance  in  seeking  to  know  the  truth,  and  I  tell  it  to 
you,  it  will  not  be  knowledge  unto  you.  I  can  tell  you  how 
you  can  obtain  it,  but  I  cannot  give  it  to  you.  If  we  receive 
this  knowledge,  it  must  come  from  the  Lord.  He  can  touch 
your  understandings  and  your  spirits,  so  that  you  shall  com- 
prehend perfectly  and  not  be  mistaken.  But  I  cannot  <lo 
that.  You  can  obtain  this  knowledge  through  repentance, 
humility,  and  seeking  the  Lord  with  full  purpose  of  heart 
until  you  find  him.  He  is  not  afar  off.  It  is  not  difficult 
to  approach  him,  if  we  will  only  do  it  with  a  broken  heart 
and  a  contrite  spirit,  as  did  Nephi  of  old.  This  was  the  way 
in  which  Joseph  Smith,  in  his  boyhood,  approached  him.  He 
went  into  the  woods,  knelt  down,  and  in  humility  he  sought 
earnestly  to  know  which  church  was  acceptable  to  God.  He 
received  an  answer  to  his  prayer,  which  he  offered  from  the 
depths  of  his  heart,  and  he  received  it  in  a  way  that  he  did 
not  expect.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1899,  p.  71. 

GOD  SPEAKS  TO  THE  HONEST  IN  HEART.  Everywhere 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  whispers  to  the  honest  in  heart  who  are 
faithful,  and  gives  to  them  the  assurance  that  his  hand  is 
stretched  out  continually  over  his  people ;  that  as,  in  the 
past,  he  has  preserved  them  and  delivered  them  out  of  the 
hands  of  their  enemies,  so  in  the  future  he  will  continue  to 
preserve  and  deliver  them,  and  he  will  make  the  wrath  of 
the  wicked  to  praise  him  and  to  accomplish  the  more  speed- 
ily his  purposes.  We  have  every  evidence  to  convince  us 
that  the  work  of  the  Lord  is  a  reality,  a  living,  active,  pro- 
gressive work  in  the  earth. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1905,  p.  5. 

GOD  CONSTANTLY  MINDFUL  OF  Us.    I  desire  to  express 


66  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

to  you,  my  brethren  and  sisters  who  are  here  today,  my  firm 
and  fixed  conviction  that  God,  the  eternal  Father,  is  con- 
stantly mindful  of  you.  He  is  mindful  of  his  people  through- 
out all  this  land,  and  he  will  reward  you  according  to  your 
faithfulness  in  observing  the  laws  of  righteousness  and  of 
truth.  No  man  need  fear  in  his  heart  when  he  is  conscious 
of  having  lived  up  to  the  principles  of  truth  and  righteous- 
ness as  God  has  required  it  at  his  hands,  according  to  his 
best  knowledge  and  understanding. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1904,  p.  2. 

GOD'S  WILL  TO  EXALT  MEN.  We  believe  that  God's 
will  is  to  exalt  men ;  that  the  liberty  that  comes  through 
obedience  to  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  greatest  meas- 
ure of  liberty  that  can  come  to  man.  There  is  no  liberty 
that  men  enjoy  or  pretend  to  enjoy  in  the  world  that  is  not 
founded  in  the  will  and  in  the  law  of  God,  and  that  does  not 
have  truth  for  its  underlying  principle  and  foundation.  It 
is  error  that  makes  bondsmen.  It  is  untruth  that  degrades 
mankind.  It  is  error  and  the  lack  of  knowledge  of  God's 
laws  and  God's  will  that  leaves  men  in  the  world  on  a  par 
with  the  brute  creation ;  for  they  have  no  higher  instincts, 
no  higher  principle,  no  higher  incentive,  no  higher  aspira- 
tion, than  the  brute  world,  if  they  have  not  some  inspiration 
that  comes  from  a  higher  source  than  man  himself. — Apr. 
C.  R.,  1904,  p.  4. 

GOD'S  RIGHT  TO  RULE  IN  THE  WORLD.  I  believe  in 
God's  law.  I  believe  that  it  is  his  right  to  rule  in  the  world. 
I  believe  that  no  man  has  or  should  have  any  valid  objec- 
tion in  his  mind  to  the  government  of  God,  and  the  rule  of 
Jesus  Christ,  in  the  earth.  Let  us  suppose,  for  a  moment, 
that  Christ  were  here  and  that  he  was  bearing  rule  in  the 
world.  Who  would  come  under  his  condemnation?  Who 
would  be  subject  to  his  chastening  word?  Who  would  be  in 
disharmony  or  unf ellowship  with  God  ?  Would  the  righteous 
man?  Would  the  virtuous  man?  The  pure  and  virtuous 
woman?  The  pure  and  the  honest  in  heart?  The  upright? 


GOD  AND  MAN  67 

The  straightforward?  Those  who  do  the  will  of  heaven? 
Would  they  be  in  rebellion  to  Christ's  rule,  if  he  were  to 
come  here  to  rule  ?  No.  They  would  welcome  the  rule  and 
reign  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  earth.  They  would  welcome  his 
law  and  acknowledge  his  sovereignty,  they  would  hasten  to 
rally  to  his  standard  and  to  uphold  the  purpose  and  the  per- 
fection of  his  laws  and  of  his  righteousness.  Who  would 
then  be  recreant  to  the  rule  of  Christ?  The  whoremonger, 
the  adulterer,  the  liar,  the  sorcerer,  he  who  bears  false  wit- 
ness against  his  neighbor,  he  who  seeks  to  take  advantage 
of  his  brother,  and  who  would  overcome  and  destroy  him 
for  his  own  worldly  gain  or  profit;  the  murderer,  the  de- 
spiser  of  that  which  is  good,  the  unbeliever  in  the  eternities 
that  lie  before  us,  the  atheist,  perhaps,  although  I  think  that 
he  would  not  be  so  far  from  Christ  as  some  who  profess  to 
be  teachers  of  his  doctrines  and  advocates  of  his  laws.  It 
would  be  the  rebellious,  the  wicked,  those  who  would  op- 
press their  neighbors  and  enslave  them  if  they  could.  Such 
as  these  would  be  the  people  who  would  not  welcome  the 
reign  of  Jesus  Christ.  Are  there  any  who  profess  to  be 
Latter-day  Saints  in  this  class,  and  would  fear  to  have  Christ 
reign  and  rule?— Apr.  C.  R.f  1904,  p.  4. 

THE  LESSON  IN  NATURAL  CALAMITIES.  There  are,  in  the 
great  world  of  mankind,  much  social  and  civil  unrighteous- 
ness, religious  unfaithfulness,  and  great  insensibility  to  the 
majesty,  power,  and  purpose  of  our  eternal  Father  and  God. 
In  order,  therefore,  that  he  may  bring  the  sense  of  himself 
and  his  purposes  home  to  the  minds  of  men,  his  intervention 
and  interposition  in  nature  and  in  men's  affairs,  are  de- 
manded. His  aims  will  be  accomplished  even  if  men  must 
be  overwhelmed  with  the  convulsions  of  nature  to  bring 
them  to  an  understanding  and  a  realization  of  his  designs. 
As  long  as  conditions  remain  as  they  are  in  the  world,  none 
is  exempt  from  these  visitations. 

The  Latter-day  Saints,  though  they  themselves  tremble 


68  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

because  of  their  own  wickedness  and  sins,  believe  that  great 
judgments  are  coming  upon  the  world  because  of  iniquity; 
they  firmly  believe  in  the  statements  of  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
that  calamities  will  befall  the  nations  as  signs  of  the  coming 
of  Christ  to  judgment.  They  believe  that  God  rules  in  the 
fire,  the  earthquake,  the  tidal  wave,  the  volcanic  eruption, 
and  the  storm.  Him  they  recognize  as  the  Master  and 
Ruler  of  nature  and  her  laws,  and  freely  acknowledge  his 
hand  in  all  things.  We  believe  that  his  judgments  are 
poured  out  to  bring  mankind  to  a  sense  of  his  power  and  his 
purposes,  that  they  may  repent  of  their  sins  and  prepare 
themselves  for  the  second  coming  of  Christ  to  reign  in 
righteousness  upon  the  earth. 

We  firmly  believe  that  Zion — which  is  the  pure  in  heart 
— shall  escape,  if  she  observes  to  do  all  things  -whatsoever 
God  has  commanded ;  but,  in  the  opposite  event,  even  Zion 
shall  be  visited  "with  sore  affliction,  with  pestilence,  with 
plague,  with  sword,  with  vengeance,  and  with  devouring 
fire"  (Doctrine  and  Covenants  97:26).  All  this  that  her 
people  may  be  taught  to  walk  in  the  light  of  truth  and  in  the 
way  of  the  God  of  their  salvation. 

We  believe  that  these  severe,  natural  calamities  are 
visited  upon  men  by  the  Lord  for  the  good  of  his  children, 
to  quicken  their  devotion  to  others,  and  to  bring  out  their 
better  natures,  that  they  may  love  and  serve  him.  We  be- 
lieve, further,  that  they  are  the  heralds  and  tokens  of  his 
final  judgment,  and  the  schoolmasters  to  teach  the  people  to 
prepare  themselves  by  righteous  living  for  the  coming  of 
the  Savior  to  reign  upon  the  earth,  when  every  knee  shall 
bow  and  every  tongue  confess  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ. 

If  these  lessons  are  impressed  upon  us  and  upon  the 
people  of  our  country,  the  anguish,  and  the  loss  of  life  and 
toil,  sad,  great  and  horrifying  as  they  were,  will  not  have 
been  endured  in  vain. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  9,  1905-6,  pp. 
651-654. 


GOD  AND  MAN  69 

EXTENT  OF  GOD'S  POWER.  I  do  not  believe  in  the  doc- 
trine held  by  some  that  God  is  only  a  spirit  and  that  he  is 
of  such  a  nature  that  he  fills  the  immensity  of  space,  and  is 
everywhere  present  in  person,  or  without  person,  for  I  can 
not  conceive  it  possible  that  God  could  be  a  person,  if  he 
filled  the  immensity  of  space  and  was  everywhere  present 
at  the  same  time.  It  is  unreasonable,  a  physical,  a  theolog- 
ical inconsistency,  to  imagine  that  even  God  the  eternal 
Father  would  be  in  two  places,  as  an  individual,  at  the  same 
moment.  It  is  impossible.  But  his  power  extends  through- 
out the  immensity  of  space.  His  power  extends  to  all  his 
creations,  and  his  knowledge  comprehends  them  all,  and 
he  governs  them  all  and  he  knows  all. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1916,  p.  4. 
BEWARE  OF  LIMITING  GOD.  Beware  of  men  who  come 
to  you  with  heresies  of  this  kind,  who  would  make  you  to 
think  or  feel  that  the  Lord  Almighty,  who  made  heaven 
and  earth  and-  created  all  things,  is  limited  in  his  dominion 
over  earthly  things  to  the  capacities  of  mortal  men. — Apr. 
C.  R.,  1914,  p.  4. 

MISFORTUNE  AND  EVIL  NOT  ATTRIBUTABLE  TO  THE  WILL 
OF,  GOD.  We  have  it  enunciated  in  the  revelations  to  Joseph 
the  Prophet,  in  the  Book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  that 
the  Lord  is  greatly  displeased  only  with  those  who  do  not 
confess  or  acknowledge  "his  hand  in  all  things,  and  obey  not 
his  commandments."  Many  things  occur  in  the  world  in 
which  it  seems  very  difficult  for  most  of  us  to  find  a  solid 
reason  for  the  acknowledgment  of  the  hand  of  the  Lord. 
I  have  come  to  the  belief  that  the  only  reason  I  have  been 
able  to  discover  by  which  we  should  acknowledge  the  hand 
of  God  in  some  occurrences  is  the  fact  that  the  thing  which 
has  occurred  has  been  permitted  of  the  Lord.  When  two 
men  give  way  to  their  passions,  their  selfishness  and  anger, 
to  contend  and  quarrel  with  each  other,  and  this  quarrel  and 
contention  lead  to  physical  strife  and  violence  between  them, 
it  has  been  difficult  for  me  to  discover  the  hand  of  the  Lord 


70  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

in  that  transaction;  other  than  that  the  men  who  thus  dis- 
agree, quarrel  and  contend  with  each  other,  have  received 
from  God  the  freedom  of  their  own  agency  to  exercise  their 
own  intelligence,  to  judge  between  the  right  and  the  wrong 
for  themselves,  and  to  act  according  to  their  own  desire. 
The  Lord  did  not  design  or  purpose  that  these  two  men 
should  quarrel,  or  give  way  to  their  anger  to  such  an  extent 
that  it  would  lead  to  violence  between  them  and,  perhaps,  to 
bloodshed.  God  has  never  designed  such  a  thing  as  that, 
nor  can  we  charge  such  things  to  the  Almighty.  People 
become  sick,  suffer  pain,  sorrow  and  anguish.  They  linger 
for  months,  and  perhaps  for  years,  in  feebleness  of  body 
and  of  mind.  The  question  arises  in  them:  Why  does  the 
Lord  suffer  it?  Is  the  hand  of  God  in  that  suffering?  Has 
God  designed  persons  to  suffer?  Has  he  touched  them  with 
his  hand  of  affliction  ?  Has  he  caused  the  evil  that  has  come 
to  them?  Too  many  of  us  are  inclined  to  think,  or  lean  to- 
ward the  feeble  thought,  that  the  illness  that  comes  to  us, 
the  afflictions  that  we  suffer,  the  accidents  that  we  meet  with 
in  life,  and  the  troubles  that  beset  us  on  our  way  in  the  jour- 
ney of  life,  are  attributable  either  to  the  mercy  or  the  dis- 
pleasure of  God.  Sometimes  we  are  prone  to  charge  God 
with  causing  our  afflictions  and  our  troubles ;  but  if  we  could 
see  as  God  sees,  if  we  could  understand  as  he  understands, 
if  we  could  trace  the  effects  back  to  the  cause,  and  that  truly, 
by  the  spirit  of  correct  understanding,  we  would  unques- 
tionably discover  that  our  troubles,  or  suffering,  or  afflic- 
tion is  the  result  of  our  own  indiscretion  or  lack  of  knowl- 
edge, or  of  wisdom.  It  was  not  the  hand  of  God  that  put 
affliction  and  trouble  upon  us.  The  agency  that  he  has 
given  to  us  left  us  to  act  for  ourselves — to  do  things  if  we 
will  that  are  not  right,  that  are  contrary  to  the  laws  of  life 
and  health,  that  are  not  wise  or  prudent — and  the  results 
may  be  serious  to  us,  because  of  our  ignorance  or  of  our 
determination  to  persist  in  that  which  we  desire,  rather  than 


GOD  AND  MAN  71 

to  yield  to  the  requirements  which  God  makes  of  us. — Im- 
provement Era,  Vol.  20,  p.  821,  July,  1917. 

GOD'S  WARFARE.  God  is  the  greatest  man  of  war  of  all, 
and  his  Son  is  next  unto  him,  and  their  warfare  is  for  the 
salvation  of  the  souls  of  men.  It  would  not  be  necessary  for 
them  to  use  violence  or  force,  nor  to  permit  their  children 
to  use  violence  nor  force  in  order  to  conquer  if  they  would 
but  humble  themselves,  and  obey  the  truth.  For,  after  all, 
nothing  will  conquer,  nothing  will  win  but  the  truth;  and 
so  far  as  the  wars  that  are  going  on  in  the  world  are  con- 
cerned, we  not  only  want  to  see  peace  established  among  the 
children  of  men,  but  also  justice,  but  above  all  things,  truth, 
that  justice,  peace  and  righteousness  may  be  built  upon  this 
foundation  and  not  depend  upon  the  covetousness,  pride, 
vanity,  evil  desire,  and  lust  for  power  in  men.- — Oct.  C.  R., 
1914,  p.  129. 

WE  ARE  IN  GOD'S  IMAGE.  When  Brother  Penrose  shall 
pray,  he  will  pray  unto  the  Father  of  our  Lord  and  Savior, 
Jesus  Christ,  in  whose  image  and  likeness  we  are  made,  or 
were  born  into  the  world,  and  in  whose  likeness  and  image 
we  are,  for  we  are  God's  children,  and  therefore  must  re- 
semble his  Son  in  person,  and  also  spiritually,  so  far  as  we 
will  obey  the  principles  of  the  gospel  of  eternal  truth.  For 
we  were  foreordained  and  predestined  to  become  conformed 
to  his  likeness  through  the  wise  and  proper  use  of  our  free 
agency.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1914,  p.  8. 

GOD'S  REST.  The  ancient  prophets  speak  of  "entering 
into  God's  rest ;"  what  does  it  mean  ?  To  my  mind,  it  means 
entering  into  the  knowledge  and  love  of  God,  having  faith  in 
his  purposes  and  in  his  plans,  to  such  an  extent  that  we  know 
we  are  right,  and  that  we  are  not  hunting  for  something  else  ; 
we  are  not  disturbed  by  every  wind  of  doctrine,  or  by  the 
cunning  and  craftiness  of  men  who  lie  in  wait  to  deceive. 
We  know  of  the  doctrine  that  it  is  of  God,  and  we  do  not 
ask  any  questions  of  anybody  about  it;  they  are  welcome  to 


GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

their  opinions,  to  their  ideas  and  to  their  vagaries.  The  man 
who  has  reached  that  degree  of  faith  in  God  that  all  doubt 
and  fear  have  been  cast  from  him,  he  has  entered  into 
"God's  rest,"  and  he  need  not  fear  the  vagaries  of  men,  nor 
their  cunning  and  craftiness,  by  which  they  seek  to  deceive 
and  mislead  him  from  the  truth.  I  pray  that  we  may  all 
enter  into  God's  rest — rest  from  doubt,  from  fear,  from 
apprehension  of  danger,  rest  from  the  religious  turmoil  of 
the  world :  from  the  cry  that  is  going  forth,  here  and  there — 
lo,  here  is  Christ ;  lo,  there  is  Christ ;  lo,  he  is  in  the  desert, 
come  ye  out  to  meet  him.  The  man  who  has  found  God's 
rest  will  not  be  disturbed  by  these  vagaries  of  men,  for  the 
Lord  has  told  him,  and  does  tell  us:  Go  not  out  to  seek 
them.  Go  not  out  to  hunt  them;  for  when  Christ  shall 
come,  he  will  come  with  the  army  of  heaven  with  him  in 
the  clouds  of  glory,  and  all  eyes  shall  see  him.  We  do  not 
need  to  be  hunting  for  Christ  here  or  Christ  there,  or  proph- 
ets here  and  prophets  there. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1909,  p.  8. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  BEING  UNDER  THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE 
HOLY  SPIRIT.  The  one  thing  now  that  I  desire  to  impress 
upon  the  mind's  of  my  brethren  of  the  Holy  Priesthood  is 
that  we  should  live  so  near  to  the  Lord,  be  so  humble  in  our 
spirits,  so  tractable  and  pliable,  under  the  influence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  that  we  will  be  able  to  know  the  mind  and  will 
of  the  Father  concerning  us  as  individuals  and  as  officers  in 
the  Church  of  Christ  under  all  circumstances.  And  when 
we  live  so  that  we  can  hear  and  understand  the  whisperings 
of  the  still,  small  voice  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  let  us  do  what- 
soever that  Spirit  directs,  without  fear  of  the  consequences. 
It  does  not  make  any  difference  whether  it  meet  the  minds 
of  carpers  or  critics,  or  of  the  enemies  of  the  kingdom  of 
God,  or  not.  Is  it  agreeable  to  the  will  of  the  Lord?  Is  it 
compatible  with  the  spirit  of  the  great  latter-day  work  in 
which  we  are  engaged?  Is  the  end  aimed  at  likely  to  ad- 
vance the  Church  and  to  strengthen  it  in  the  earth?  If  its 


GOD  AND  MAN  73 

trend  is  in  that  direction,  let  us  do  it,  no  matter  what  men 
may  say  or  think.— Oct.  C.  R.}  1903,  p.  86. 

HOLY  GHOST,  HOLY  SPIRIT,  COMFORTER.  The  Holy 
Ghost,  who  is  a  member  of  the  Trinity  in  the  Godhead,  has 
not  a  body  of  flesh  and  bones,  like  the  Father  and  the  Son, 
but  is  personage  of  Spirit.  (Doc  and  Cov.  Sec.  130:22.) 

The  Holy  Spirit,  or  Spirit  of  God,  both  of  which  terms 
are  sometimes  used  interchangeably  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  is 
the  influence  of  Deity,  the  light  of  Christ,  or  of  Truth,  which 
proceeds  forth  from  the  presence  of  God  to  fill  the  immen- 
sity of  space,  and  to  quicken  the  understanding  of  men. 
(Doc.  and  Cov.  Sec.  88:6-13.) 

If  a  man  is  baptized  and  ordained  to  the  Holy  Priest- 
hood, and  is  called  upon  to  perform  duties  which  pertain  to 
that  priesthood,  it  does  not  follow  that  he  must  always  have 
the  Holy  Ghost  in  person  present  with  him  when  he  per- 
forms his  duty,  but  every  righteous  act  which  he  may  per- 
form legally  will  be  in  force  and  effect,  and  will  be  ac- 
knowledged of  God,  and  the  more  of  the  Spirit  of  God  he 
possesses  in  his  ministrations,  the  better  for  himself,  and 
those  will  not  suffer  any  loss  unto  whom  he  adminis- 
ters. 

Therefore,  the  presentation  or  "gift"  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
simply  confers  upon  a  man  the  right  to  receive  at  any  time, 
when  he  is  worthy  of  it  and  desires  it,  the  power  and  light 
of  truth  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  although  he  may  often  be  left 
to  his  own  spirit  and  judgment. 

The  Holy  Ghost  as  a  personage  of  Spirit  can  no  more 
be  omnipresent  in  person  than  can  the  Father  or  the  Son, 
but  by  his  intelligence,  his  knowledge,  his  power  and  influ- 
ence, over  and  through  the  laws  of  nature,  he  is  and  can  be 
omnipresent  throughout  all  the  works  of  God.  It  is  not  the 
Holy  Ghost  who  in  person  lighteth  every  man  who  is  born 
into  the  world,  but  it  is  the  light  of  Christ,  the  Spirit  of 
Truth,  which  proceeds  from  the  source  of  intelligence,  which 


74  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

permeates  all  nature,  which  lighteth  every  man  and  fills  the 
immensity  of  space.  You  may  call  it  the  Spirit  of  God,  you 
may  call  it  the  influence  of  God's  intelligence,  you  may  call 
it  the  substance  of  his  power,  no  matter  what  it  is  called, 
it  is  the  spirit  of  intelligence  that  permeates  the  universe 
and  gives  to  the  spirits  of  men  understanding  just  as  Job 
has  said.  (Job  32:8;  Doc.  and  Cov.  88:3-13.) 

Every  elder  of  the  Church  who  has  received  the  Holy 
Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of  hands,  by  one  having  authority, 
has  power  to  confer  that  gift  upon  another ;  it  does  not  fol- 
low that  a  man  who  has  received  the  presentation  or  gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  shall  always  receive  the  recognition  and  wit- 
ness and  presence  of  the  Holy  Ghost  himself,  or  he  may 
receive  all  these,  and  yet  the  Holy  Ghost  not  tarry  with  him, 
but  visit  him  from  time  to  time  (Doc.  and  Cov.  Sec.  130: 
23)  ;  and  neither  does  it  follow  that  a  man  must  have  the 
Holy  Ghost  present  with  him  when  he  confers  the  Holy 
Ghost  upon  another,  but  he  possesses  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  it  will  depend  upon  the  worthiness  of  him  unto 
whom  the  gift  is  bestowed  whether  he  receive  the  Holy 
Ghost  or  not. 

Now  I  repeat — the  Holy  Ghost  is  a  personage  of  spirit, 
he  constitutes  the  third  person  in  the  Trinity,  the  Godhead. 
The  gift  or  presentation  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  authorita- 
tive act  of  conferring  him  upon  man.  The  Holy  Ghost  in 
person  may  visit  men  and  will  visit  those  who  are  worthy  and 
bear  witness  to  their  spirit  of  God  and  Christ,  but  may  not 
tarry  with  them.  The  Spirit  of  God  which  emanates  from 
Deity  may  be  likened  to  electricity,  or  the  universal  ether, 
as  explained  in  our  manual,  which  fills  the  earth  and  the 
air,  and  is  everywhere  present.  It  is  the  power  of  God,  the 
influence  that  he  exerts  throughout  all  his  works  by  which 
he  can  effect  his  purposes  and  execute  his  will,  in  consonance 
with  the  laws  of  free  agency  which  he  has  conferred  upon 
man.  By  means  of  this  Spirit  every  man  is  enlightened,  the 


GOD  AND  MAN  75 

wicked  as  well  as  the  good,  the  intelligent  and  the  ignorant, 
the  high  and  the  low,  each  in  accordance  with  his  capacity  to 
receive  the  light ;  and  this  Spirit  or  influence  which  emanates 
from  God  may  be  said  to  constitute  man's  consciousness, 
and  will  never  cease  to  strive  with  man,  until  man  is  brought 
to  the  possession  of  the  higher  intelligence  which  can  only 
come  through  faith,  repentance,  baptism  for  the  remission 
of  sins,  and  the  gift  or  the  presentation  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
by  one  having  authority. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  12,  p.  389, 
March,  1909. 

GOD  INSPIRES  MAN  TO  KNOW  AND  TO  Do.  I  am  inclined 
to  acknowledge  the  hand  of  God  in  all  things.  If  I  see  a 
man  inspired  with  intelligence,  with  extraordinary  ability 
and  wisdom,  I  say  to  myself  he  is  indebted  to  God  for  that 
wisdom  and  ability ;  and  that,  without  the  providence  or  in- 
terposition of  the  Almighty,  he  would  not  have  been  what  he 
is.  He  is  indebted  to  the  Lord  Almighty  for  his  intelligence, 
and  for  all  that  he  has ;  for  the  earth  is  the  Lord's  and  the 
fulness  thereof.  God  originated  and  designed  all  things,  and 
all  are  his  children.  We  are  born  into  the  world  as  his  off- 
spring; endowed  with  the  same  attributes.  The  children 
of  men  have  sprung  from  the  Almighty,  whether  the  world 
is  willing  to  acknowledge  it  or  not.  He  is  the  Father  of 
our  spirits.  He  is  the  originator  of  our  earthly  tabernacles. 
We  live  and  move  and  have  our  being  in  God  our  heavenly 
Father.  And  having  sprung  from  him  with  our  talents,  our 
ability,  our  wisdom,  we  should  at  least  be  willing  to  ac- 
knowledge his  hand  in  all  the  prosperity  that  may  attend  us 
in  life,  and  give  to  him  the  honor  and  glory  of  all  we  accom- 
plish in  the  flesh.  We  are  particularly  dependent  upon  the 
Almighty  for  everything  we  possess  of  a  worldly  character. 
There  is  not  a  man  on  the  earth  possessed  of  the  wisdom 
or  power  of  himself  to  cause  even  a  spear  of  grass  to  grow, 
or  to  produce  a  kernel  of  wheat  or  of  corn,  or  any  fruit,  veg- 
etable, or  any  material  whatever  which  is  essential  for  the 


76  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

sustenance,  the  happiness  and  the  well-being  of  a  human 
creature  in  the  world.  It  is  true  we  can  go  to  the  earth,  we 
find  it  prepared  to  a  certain  extent,  and  we  cultivate,  plow 
and  plant,  and  we  reap  the  harvest;  but  God  has  ordained 
that  the  fruits  of  our  labor  shall  be  in  subjection  and  in  obe- 
dience to  certain  laws  which  he  himself  controls,  and  which 
he  has  kept  out  of  the  power  of  man.  Man  may  boast  of 
having  a  great  deal  of  wisdom;  of  having  accomplished  a 
great  deal  in  this  nineteenth  century ;  but,  if  he  did  but  know 
it,  he  derives  the  ability  by  which  he  accomplishes  these 
things  from  God  his  Father,  who  is  in  heaven.  He  does 
not  possess  the  power  in  and  of  himself. 

I  read  a  Scripture  something  like  this :  that  ''there  is  a 
spirit  in  man."  Now,  if  that  should  stop  here,  there  would 
not  be  perhaps  anything  very  remarkable  about  man;  for 
the  spirit  of  man  knoweth  only  the  things  of  man,  and  the 
things  of  God  are  discerned  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  But  while 
there  is  a  spirit  in  man,  it  is  further  stated  that  "the  inspira- 
tion of  the  Almighty  giveth  them  understanding."  There 
is  not  a  man  born  into  the  world,  but  has  a  portion  of  the 
Spirit  of  God,  and  it  is  that  Spirit  of  God  which  gives  to  his 
spirit  understanding.  Without  this,  he  would  be  but  an  ani- 
mal like  the  rest  of  the  brute  creation,  without  understand- 
ing, without  judgment,  without  skill,  without  ability,  except 
to  eat  and  to  drink  like  the  brute  beast.  But  inasmuch  as 
the  Spirit  of  God  giveth  all  men  understanding,  he  is  enlight- 
ened above  the  brute  beast.  He  is  made  in  the  image  of  God 
himself,  so  that  he  can  reason,  reflect,  pray,  exercise  faith; 
he  can  use  his  energies  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  de- 
sires of  his  heart,  and  inasmuch  as  he  puts  forth  his  efforts 
in  the  proper  direction,  then  he  is  entitled  to  an  increased 
portion  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Almighty  to  inspire  him  to  in- 
creased intelligence,  to  increased  prosperity  and  happiness 
in  the  world ;  but  in  proportion  as  he  prostitutes  his  energies 
for  evil,  the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty  is  withdrawn  from 


GOD  AND  MAN  77 

him,  until  he  becomes  so  dark  and  so  benighted,  that  so  far 
as  his  knowledge  of  God  is  concerned,  he  is  quite  as  ignor- 
ant as  a  dumb  brute. 

Again,  where  are  we  going?  We  come  here  and  jour- 
ney in  the  flesh  a  little  season,  and  then  we  pass  away.  Every 
soul  that  is  born  into  the  world  will  die.  There  is  not  a  soul 
that  has  escaped  death,  except  those  upon  whom  God  has 
passed,  by  the  power  of  his  Spirit,  that  they  should  live  in 
the  flesh  until  the  second  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man:  but 
they  will  eventually  have  to  pass  through  the  ordeal  called 
death ;  it  may  be  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  and  without  pain 
or  suffering;  but  they  will  pass  through  the  change,  because 
it  is  an  irrevocable  edict  of  the  Almighty.  "In  the  day  that 
thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die."  This  was  the  edict 
of  the  Almighty,  and  it  pertains  to  Adam — that  is,  all  the  hu- 
man race — for  Adam  is  many — and  it  means  you  and  me,  and 
every  soul  that  lives  and  that  bears  the  image  of  the  Father. 
We  shall  all  die.  But  is  that  the  end  of  our  being?  If  we 
had  .an  existence  before  we  came  here,  we  certainly  shall 
continue  that  existence  when  we  leave  here.  The  spirit  will 
continue  to  exist  as  it  did  before,  with  the  additional  advan- 
tages derived  from  having  passed  through  this  probation.  It 
is  absolutely  necessary  that  we  should  come  to  the  earth  and 
take  upon  us  tabernacles;  because  if  we  did  not  have  tab- 
ernacles we  could  not  be  like  God,  nor  like  Jesus  Christ. 
God  has  a  tabernacle  of  flesh  and  bone.  He  is  an  organized 
being  just  as  we  are,  who  are  now  in  the  flesh.  Jesus  Christ 
was  born  of  his  mother  Mary.  He  had  a  fleshly  tabernacle. 
He  was  crucified  on  the  cross ;  and  his  body  was  raised  from 
the  dead.  He  burst  the  bonds  of  the  grave,  and  came  forth 
to  newness  of  life,  a  living  soul,  a  living  being,  a  man  with 
a  body,  with  parts  and  with  spirit — -the  spirit  and  the  body 
becoming  a  living  and  immortal  soul.  You  and  I  have  to 
do  the  same  thing.  We  must  go  through  the  same  ordeal 
in  order  to  attain  to  the  glory  and  exaltation  which  God  de- 


78  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

signed  we  should  enjoy  with  him  in  the  eternal  worlds.  In 
other  words,  we  must  become  like  him ;  peradventure  to  sit 
upon  thrones,  to  have  dominion,  power,  and  eternal  increase. 
God  designed  this  in  the  beginning.  We  are  the  children 
of  God.  He  is  an  eternal  being,  without  beginning  of  days 
or  end  of  years.  He  always  was,  he  is,  he  always  will  be. 
We  are  precisely  in  the  same  condition  and  under  the  same 
circumstances  that  God  our  heavenly  Father  was  when  he 
was  passing  through  this,  or  a  similar  ordeal.  We  are  des- 
tined to  come  forth  out  of  the  grave  as  Jesus  did,  and  to  ob- 
tain immortal  bodies  as  he  did — that  is,  that  our  tabernacles 
are  to  become  immortal  as  his  became  immortal,  that  the 
spirit  and  the  body  may  be  joined  together  and  become  one 
living  being,  indivisible,  inseparable,  eternal.  This  is  the  ob- 
ject of  our  existence  in  the  world;  and  we  can  only  attain 
to  these  things  through  obedience  to  certain  principles, 
•through  walking  in  certain  channels,  through  obtaining  cer- 
tain information,  certain  intelligence  from  God,  without 
which  no  man  can  accomplish  his  work  or  fulfil  the  mission 
he  has  come  upon  the  earth  to  fulfil.  These  principles  are 
the  principles  of  the  gospel  of  eternal  truth,  the  principles 
of  faith,  repentance,  and  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins, 
the  principle  of  obedience  to  God  the  eternal  Father ;  for 
obedience  is  one  of  the  first  principles  or  laws  of  heaven. 
Without  obedience,  there  can  be  no  order,  no  government, 
no  union,  no  plan  or  purpose,  carried  out.  And  that  obedi- 
ence must  be  voluntary;  it  must  not  be  forced,  there  must 
be  no  coercion.  Men  must  not  be  constrained  against  their 
will  to  obey  the  will  of  God ;  they  must  obey  it  because  they 
know  it  to  be  right,  because  they  desire  to  do  it,  and  be- 
cause it  is  their  pleasure  to  do  it.  God  delights  in  the 
willing  heart. 

I  am  looking  forward  to  the  time  when  I  shall  have 
passed  away  from  this  stage  of  existence,  that  I  shall  be  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  more  fully  every  gift  and  blessing  that  has 


GOD  AND  MAN  79 

contributed  to  my  happiness  in  this  world;  everything.  I 
do  not  believe  that  there  is  one  thing  that  was  designed  or 
intended  to  give  me  joy  or  make  me  happy,  that  I  shall  be 
denied  hereafter,  provided  I  continue  faithful ;  otherwise  my 
joy  cannot  be  full.  I  am  not  now  speaking  of  that  happiness 
or  pleasure  that  is  derived  from  sin ;  I  refer  to  the  happi- 
ness experienced  in  seeking  to  do  the  will  of  God  on  earth 
as  it  is  done  in  heaven.  We  expect  to  have  our  wives  and 
husbands  in  eternity.  We  expect  our  children  will  acknowl- 
edge us  as  their  fathers  and  mothers  in  eternity.  I  expect 
this;  I  look  for  nothing  else.  Without  it,  I  could  not  be 
happy.  The  thought  or  belief  that  I  should  be  denied  this 
privilege  hereafter  would  make  me  miserable  from  this 
moment.  I  never  could  be  happy  again  without  the  hope 
that  I  shall  enjoy  the  society  of  my  wives  and  children  in 
eternity.  If  I  had  not  this  hope,  I  should  be  of  all  men 
most  unhappy,  for  "if  in  this  life  only  we  have  hope  in 
Christ,  we  are  of  all  men  most  miserable."  All  who  have 
tasted  of  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  have  had 
awakened  within  them  a  hope  of  eternal  life,  cannot  be 
happy  unless  they  continue  to  drink  of  that  fountain  until 
they  are  satisfied,  and  it  is  the  only  fountain  at  which  they 
can  drink  and  be  satisfied. — Journal  of  Discourses,  Vol.  25, 
1884,  pp.  51-60. 

TRUST  IN  GOD.  The  need  of  one's  having  a  keen  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth  is  paramount.  So  also  is  it  that  every 
Latter-day  Saint  should  have  a  deep-rooted  conviction  of 
the  justice  of  God,  and  an  implicit  confidence  and  faith  in 
his  being  and  mercy.  To  rightfully  understand  the  gospel 
and  to  be  able  to  keep  his  commandments  such  knowledge 
is  absolutely  necessary.  Let  each  person  ask  himself  if  in 
his  soul  there  is  a  sharp  and  immovable  conviction  of  these 
facts.  Could  anything  that  might  occur  to  you,  or  that 
might  take  place  in  the  Church,  or  with  her  officers  or 
authorities,  change  your  faith  in  the  purposes,  and  in  the 


80  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

absolute  justice  and  mercy,  of  the  Lord,  or  in  the  saving 
power  of  his  gospel,  the  message  of  his  salvation?  If  so, 
your  faith  is  not  deep-rooted,  and  there  is  strong  need  of 
your  becoming  convinced.  *  *  * 

No  person  can  realize  the  fulness  of  the  blessings  of 
God,  unless  he  can  approach,  in  some  degree,  at  least,  the 
standard  of  faith  in  God's  justice,  exemplified  in  the  exam- 
ples quoted.  He  must  have  founded  in  his  own  soul  belief 
and  confidence  in  the  justice  and  mercy  of  God.  It  must 
be  individual,  no  man  can  act  for  another.  Lessons  of  this 
class  need  be  taught  and  held  up  before  the  youth  of  Zion, 
to  bring  forcibly  to  their  minds  the  truth  which  alone  will 
make  them  free  and  able  to  stand  firm  in  the  faith.  Let 
them,  as  they  are  called  together  in  their  assemblies,  present 
themselves  before  God,  and  be  reminded  of  his  gracious 
benefits,  in  bringing  forth  the  Book  of  Mormon,  in  the 
scenes  of  Kirtland,  in  Zion,  in  Nauvoo,  in  the  trying  days  of 
the  exodus,  and  in  the  wilderness.  This  that  they  might 
count  the  mercies  of  God  in  his  promises,  and  behold  how 
past  affliction  and  sore  trial  have  been  turned  to  the  well- 
being  of  his  people;  and  so  renew  their  covenants,  filled 
with  a  deep-rooted,  immovable  conviction  of  the  goodness 
and  mercy  of  the  Lord.  Each  individual  must  learn  this 
lesson,  it  must  be  impressed  upon  his  soul,  so  deep,  and  be 
so  well-founded  that  nothing  can  separate  him  from  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  love  of  God,  though  death  and  hell  stand  in  the 
way. 

God  is  good ;  his  promises  never  fail ;  to  trust  implicitly 
his  goodness  and  mercy  is  a  correct  principle.  Let  us,  there- 
fore, put  our  trust  in  him. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  7,  p.  53, 
Nov.,  1904. 

I  KNOW  THAT  MY  REDEEMER  LIVES.  It  is  by  the  power 
of  God  that  all  things  are  made  that  have  been  made.  It  is 
by  the  power  of  Christ  that  all  things  are  governed  and  kept 
in  place  that  are  governed  and  kept  in  place  in  the  universe. 


GOD  AND  MAN  81 

It  is  the  power  which  proceeds  from  the  presence  of  the  Son 
of  God  throughout  all  the  works  of  his  hands,  that  giveth 
light,  energy,  understanding,  knowledge,  and  a  degree  of 
intelligence  to  all  the  children  of  men,  strictly  in  accordance 
with  the  words  in  the  Book  of  Job:  "There  is  a  spirit  in 
man ;  and  the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty  giveth  them  un- 
derstanding." It  is  this  inspiration  from  God,  proceeding 
throughout  all  his  creations,  that  enlighteneth  the  children 
of  men ;  and  it  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  spirit  of 
Christ,  that  enlighteneth  the  mind,  that  quickeneth  the  un- 
derstanding, and  that  prompteth  the  children  of  men  to  do 
that  which  is  good  and  to  eschew  that  which  is  evil ;  which 
quickens  the  conscience  of  man  and  gives  him  intelligence 
to  judge  between  good  and  evil,  light  and  darkness,  right 
and  wrong. 

But  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  bears  record  of  the  Father  and 
the  Son,  who  takes  of  the  things  of  the  Father  and  shows 
them  unto  men,  who  testifies  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  the  ever- 
living  God,  the  Father  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  who  bears  wit- 
ness of  the  truth — this  Spirit,  this  Intelligence,  is  not  given 
unto  all  men  until  they  repent  of  their  sins  and  come  into 
a  state  of  worthiness  before  the  Lord.  Then  they  receive 
the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of  the 
hands  of  those  who  are  authorized  of  God  to  bestow  his 
blessings  upon  the  heads  of  the  children  of  men.  The  Spirit 
spoken  of  in  that  which  I  have  read  is  that  Spirit  which  will 
not  cease  to  strive  with  the  children  of  men  until  they  are 
brought  to  the  possession  of  the  greater  light  and  intelli- 
gence. Though  a  man  may  commit  all  manner  of  sin  and 
blasphemy,  if  he  has  not  received  the  testimony  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  he  may  be  forgiven  by  repenting  of  his  sins,  humbling 
himself  before  the  Lord,  and  obeying  in  sincerity  the  com- 
mandments of  God.  As  it  is  stated  here,  "Every  soul  who 
forsaketh  his  sins  and  cometh  unto  me,  and  calleth  on  my 
name,  and  obeyeth  my  voice,  and  keepeth  my  commandments, 


82  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

shall  see  my  face  and  know  that  I  am."  He  shall  be  for- 
given, and  receive  of  the  greater  light;  he  will  enter  into  a 
solemn  covenant  with  God,  into  a  compact  with  the  Al- 
mighty, through  the  Only  Begotten  Son,  whereby  he  be- 
comes a  son  of  God,  an  heir  of  God,  and  a  joint  heir  with 
Jesus  Christ.  Then,  if  he  shall  sin  against  the  light  and 
knowledge  he  has  received,  the  light  that  was  within  him 
shall  become  darkness,  and  oh,  how  great  will  be  that  dark- 
ness !  Then,  and  not  till  then,  will  this  Spirit  of  Christ  that 
lighteth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world  cease  to  strive 
with  him,  and  he  shall  be  left  to  his  own  destruction. 

The  question  is  often  asked,  Is  there  any  difference  be- 
tween the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  and  the  Holy  Ghost?  The 
terms  are  frequently  used  synonymously.  We  often  say  the 
Spirit  of  God  when  we  mean  the  Holy  Ghost ;  we  likewise 
say  the  Holy  Ghost  when  we  mean  the  Spirit  of  God.  The 
Holy  Ghost  is  a  personage  in  the  Godhead,  and  is  not  that 
which  lighteth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world.  It  is 
the  Spirit  of  God  which  proceeds  through  Christ  to  the 
world,  that  enlightens  every  man  that  comes  into  the  world, 
and  that  strives  with  the  children  of  men,  and  will  continue 
to  strive  with  them,  until  it  brings  them  to  a  knowledge  of 
the  truth  and  the  possession  of  the  greater  light  and  testi- 
mony of  the  Holy  Ghost.  If,  however,  he  receive  that 
greater  light,  and  then  sin  against  it,  the  Spirit  of  God  will 
cease  to  strive  with  him,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  will  wholly 
depart  from  him.  Then  will  he  persecute  the  truth ;  then 
will  he  seek  the  blood  of  the  innocent ;  then  will  he  not  scru- 
ple at  the  commission  of  any  crime,  except  so  far  as  he  may 
fear  the  penalties  of  the  law,  in  consequence  of  the  crime, 
upon  himself. 

"And  that  I  am 'in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  me, 
and  the  Father  and  I  are  one."  I  do  not  apprehend  that 
any  intelligent  person  will  construe  these  words  to  mean  that 
Jesus  and  his  Father  are  one  person,  but  merely  that  they 


GOD  AND  MAN  83 

are  one  in  knowledge,  in  truth,  in  wisdom,  in  understanding, 
and  in  purpose;  just  as  the  Lord  Jesus  himself  admonished 
his  disciples  to  be  one  with  him,  and  to  be  in  him,  that  he 
might  be  in  them.  It  is  in  this  sense  that  I  understand  this 
language,  and  not  as  it  is  construed  by  some  people,  that 
Christ  and  his  Father  are  one  person.  I  declare  to  you  that 
they  are  not  one  person,  but  that  they  are  two  persons,  two 
bodies,  separate  and  apart,  and  as  distinct  as  are  any  father 
and  son  within  the  sound  of  my  voice.  Yet,  Jesus  is  the 
Father  of  this  world,  because  it  was  by  him  that  the  world 
was  made. 

Even  Christ  himself  was  not  perfect  at  first;  he  re- 
ceived not  a  fulness  at  first,  but  he  received  grace  for  grace, 
and  he  continued  to  receive  more  and  more  until  he  re- 
ceived a  fulness.  Is  not  this  to  be  so  with  the  children  of 
men  ?  Is  any  man  perfect  ?  Has  any  man  received  a  fulness 
at  once?  Have  we  reached  a  point  wherein  we  may  receive 
the  fulness  of  God,  of  his  glory,  and  his  intelligence  ?  No ; 
and  yet,  if  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  and  the  Father  of  the 
heavens  and  the  earth  in  which  we  dwell,  received  not  a 
fulness  at  the  first,  but  increased  in  faith,  knowledge,  under- 
standing and  grace  until  he  received  a  fulness,  is  it  not  pos- 
sible for  all  men  who  are  born  of  women  to  receive  little 
by  little,  line  upon  line,  precept  upon  precept,  until  they  shall 
receive  a  fulness,  as  he  has  received  a  fulness,  and  be  ex- 
alted with  him  in  the  presence  of  the  Father? 

The  spirit  without  the  body  is  not  perfect,  and  the  body 
without  the  spirit  is  dead.  Man  was  ordained  in  the  begin- 
ning to  become  like  Jesus  Christ,  to  become  conformed  unto 
his  image.  As  Jesus  was  born  of  woman,  lived  and  grew 
to  manhood,  was  put  to  death  and  raised  from  the  dead  to 
immortality  and  eternal  life,  so  it  was  decreed  in  the  begin- 
ning that  man  should  be,  and  will  be,  through  the  atone- 
ment of  Jesus,  in  spite  of  himself,  resurrected  from  the 
dead.  Death  came  upon  us  without  the  exercise  of  our 


84  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

agency ;  we  had  no  hand  in  bringing  it  originally  upon  our- 
selves;  it  came  because  of  the  transgression  of  our  first 
parents.  Therefore,  man,  who  had  no  hand  in  bringing 
death  upon  himself,  shall  have  no  hand  in  bringing  again 
life  unto  himself;  for  as  he  dies  in  consequence  of  the  sin 
of  Adam,  so  shall  he  live  again,  whether  he  will  or  not,  by 
the  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  power  of  his  res- 
urrection. Every  man  that  dies  shall  live  again,  and  shall 
stand  before  the  bar  of  God,  to  be  judged  according  to  his 
works,  whether  they  be  good  or  evil.  It  is  then  that  all  will 
have  to  give  an  account  for  their  stewardship  in  this  mortal 
life. 

Now,  my  brethren  and  sisters,  I  know  that  my  Re- 
deemer lives.  I  feel  it  in  every  fiber  of  my  being.  I  am  just 
as  satisfied  of  it  as  I  am  of  my  own  existence.  I  cannot  feel 
more  sure  of  my  own  being  than  I  do  that  my  Redeemer 
lives,  and  that  my  God  lives,  the  Father  of  my  Savior.  I 
feel  it  in  my  soul ;  I  am  converted  to  it  in  my  whole  being. 
I  bear  testimony  to  you  that  this  is  the  doctrine  of  Christ, 
the  gospel  of  Jesus,  which  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salva- 
tion. It  is  "Mormonism." — Sermon  in  Tabernacle,  Salt 
Lake  City,  March  16,  1902. 

OUR  PERSONAL  RESPONSIBILITY.  If  there  is  one  prin- 
ciple of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  that  goes  directly  to  the 
very  foundation  of  justice  and  righteousness,  it  is  that  great 
and  glorious  and  God-like  principle  that  every  man  will  have 
to  render  an  account  for  that  which  he  does,  and  every  man 
will  be  rewarded  for  his  works,  whether  they  be  good  or 
evil. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  21,  p.  104. 

THE  CHURCH  A  DEMOCRATIC  INSTITUTION.  The 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  is  the  most 
democratic  institution  in  the  world. — Improvement  Era, 
Vol.  21,  p.  100. 

How  TO  SECURE  GOD'S  BLESSINGS.  If  we  desire  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  blessings  of  the  Lord,  we  must  do  his  will 


GOD  AND  MAN  85 

and  obey  the  laws  on  which  his  blessings  are  predicated. 
There  is  no  other  way  to  obtain  his  blessings. — Improvement 
Era,  Vol.  21,  p.  99,  December,  1917. 

JESUS  is  THE  SON.  Jesus  Christ  is  not  the  Father  of 
the  spirits  who  have  taken  or  yet  shall  take  bodies  upon  this 
earth,  for  he  is  one  of  them.  He  is  the  Son,  as  they  are 
sons  or  daughters  of  Elohim.  So  far  as  the  stages  of  eternal 
progression  and  attainment  have  been  made  known  through 
divine  revelation,  we  are  to  understand  that  only  resurrected 
and  glorified  beings  can  become  parents  of  spirit  offspring. 
Only  such  exalted  souls  have  reached  maturity  in  the  ap- 
pointed course  of  eternal  life;  and  the  spirits  born  to  them 
in  the  eternal  worlds  will  pass  in  due  sequence  through  the 
several  stages  or  estates  by  which  the  glorified  parents  have 
attained  exaltation. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  19,  p.  942. 

JEHOVAH,  THE  FIRSTBORN.  Among  the  spirit  children 
of  Elohim,  the  first-born  was  and  is  Jehovah,  or  Jesus  Christ, 
to  whom  all  others  are  juniors. — Improvement  Era,  Vol. 
19,  p.  940. 

NOTHING  TEMPORAL  WITH  GOD.  We  ought  to  be 
united  in  all  things  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual.  With 
God  all  things  are  spiritual.  There  is  nothing  temporal  with 
him  at  all,  and  there  ought  to  be  no  distinction  with  us  in 
regard  to  these  matters.  Our  earthly  or  temporal  existence 
is  merely  a  continuance  of  that  which  is  spiritual.  Every 
step  we  take  in  the  great  journey  of  life,  the  great  journey 
of  eternity,  is  a  step  in  advance  or  in  retrogression.  We  are 
here  in  mortality,  it  is  true ;  but  we  are  ahead  of  that  condi- 
tion we  occupied  before  we  came  here  and  took  upon  us  mor- 
tality. We  are  a  step  in  advance  of  our  former  state.  What 
is  the  body  without  the  spirit?  It  is  lifeless  clay.  What  is 
it  that  affects  this  lifeless  clay?  It  is  the  spirit,  it  is  the  im- 
mortal part,  the  eternal  being,  that  existed  before  it  came 
here,  that  exists  within  us,  and  that  will  continue  to  exist, 
and  that  by  and  by  will  redeem  these  tabernacles  and  bring 


86  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

them  forth  out  of  the  graves.  This  whole  mission  of  ours 
is  spiritual.  The  work  we  have  to  do  here,  although  we 
call  it  temporal,  pertains  alike  to  our  spiritual  and  our  tem- 
poral salvation.  And  the  Lord  has  just  as  much  right  to  dic- 
tate, to  counsel,  to  direct  and  guide  us  in  the  manipulation 
and  management  of  our  temporal  affairs,  as  we  call  them, 
as  he  has  to  say  one  word  in  relation  to  our  spiritual  affairs. 
So  far  as  he  is  concerned  there  is  no  difference  in  this  regard. 
He  looks  upon  us  as  immortal  beings.  Our  bodies  are  de- 
signed to  become  eternal  and  spiritual.  God  is  spiritual  him- 
self, although  he  has  a  body  of  flesh  and  bone  as  Christ  has. 
Yet  he  is  spiritual,  and  those  who  worship  him  must  do  so  in 
spirit  and  in  truth.  And  when  you  come  to  separate  the  spir- 
itual from  the  temporal,  see  that  you  do  not  make  a  mistake. 
—Descrct  Weekly  News,  Vol.  23,  July  16,  1884,  p.  466. 

THE  IMPORTANT  CONSIDERATION.  The  important  con- 
sideration is  not  how  long  we  can  live,  but  how  well  we  can 
learn  the  lessons  of  life,  and  discharge  our  duties  and  obli- 
gations to  God  and  to  each  other.  One  of  the  main  pur- 
poses of  our  existence  is  that  we  might  conform  to  the  image 
and  likeness  of  Him  who  sojourned  in  the  flesh  without 
blemish — immaculate,  pure,  and  spotless !  Christ  came  not 
only  to  atone  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  but  to  set  an  exam- 
ple before  all  men,  and  to  establish  the  standard  of  God's 
perfection,  of  God's  law,  and  of  obedience  to  the  Father. — 
Improvement  Era,  Vol.  21,  1917,  p.  104. 


CHAPTER    VI 

The  Purpose  and  the  Mission  of  the  Church 

THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD  DEFINED.  What  I  mean  by  the 
kingdom  of  God  is  the  organization  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  over  which  the  son  of  God  pre- 
sides, and  not  man.  That  is  what  I  mean.  I  mean  the 
kingdom  of  which  Christ  is  the  King  and  not  man.  If  any 
man  object  to  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  being  King  of  Israel, 
let  him  object,  and  go  to  hell  just  as  quick  as  he  please.— 
Oct.  C.  R.,  1906,  p.  9. 

"MORMONISM"  DEFINED.  I  desire  to  say  that  "Mor- 
monism,"  as  it  is  called,  is  still,  as  always,  nothing  more  and 
nothing  less  than  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation,  unto 
every  soul  that  will  receive  it  honestly  and  will  obey  it.  1 
say  to  you,  my  brethren,  sisters  and  friends,  that  all  Latter- 
day  Saints,  wherever  you  find  them,  provided  they  are  true 
to  their  name,  to  their  calling  and  to  their  understanding  of 
the  gospel,  are  people  who  stand  for  truth  and  for  honor, 
for  virtue  and  for  purity  of  life,  for  honesty  in  business 
and  in  religion ;  people  who  stand  for  God  and  for  his 
righteousness,  for  God's  truth  and  his  work  in  the  earth, 
which  aims  for  the  salvation  of  the  children  of  men,  for  their 
salvation  from  the  evils  of  the  world,  from  the  pernicious 
habits  of  wicked  men  and  from  all  those  things  that  degrade, 
dishonor  or  destroy;  or  tend  to  lessen  the  vitality  and  life, 
the  honor  and  godliness  among  the  people  of  the  earth. — 
Apr.  C.  R.,  1910,  p.  5. 

THE  MISSION  OF  THE  CHURCH.  Our  mission  has  been 
to  save  men.  We  have  been  laboring  all  these  eighty-odd 
years  of  the  Church  to  bring  men  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  bring  them  to  repentance,  to  obe- 


88  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

dience  to  the  requirements  of  God's  law.  We  have  been 
striving  to  save  men  from  error,  to  persuade  them  to  turn 
away  from  evil  and  to  learn  to  do  good.  Now  if  our  en- 
emies will  only  charge  us  with  doing  this,  all  right;  and  if 
they  wish  to  oppose  us  for  doing  this,  that  is  their  business ; 
but  when  they  charge  us  with  doing  that  which  we  have  not 
done,  believing  that  which  we  do  not  believe,  practicing  that 
which  we  have  never  practiced,  then  I  pity  them.  I  pity 
them  because  they  are  doing  it  in  ignorance,  or  because  they 
are  wilfully  disposed  to  misrepresent  the  truth. — Apr.  C,  R., 
1912,  pp.  3,  4. 

THE  PLAN  OF  LIFE  RESTORED.  It  is  the  plan  of  life 
that  the  Almighty  has  restored  to  man  in  the  latter  days 
for  the  salvation  of  the  souls  of  men,  not  only  in  the  world 
to  come,  but  in  our  present  life,  for  the  Lord  has  instituted 
his  work  that  his  people  may  enjoy  the  blessings  of  this  life 
to  the  utmost;  that  they  should  be  saved  in  this  present. life, 
as  well  as  in  the  life  to  come,  that  they  should  lay  the  found- 
ation here  for  immunity  from  sin  and  all  its  effects  and 
consequences,  that  they  may  obtain  an  inheritance  in  the 
kingdom  of  God  beyond  this  vale  of  tears.  The  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation,  and  it  is  ab- 
solutely necessary  for  every  man  and  wornan  in  the  Church 
of  Christ  to  work  righteousness,  to  observe  the  laws  of  God, 
and  keep  the  commandments  that  he  has  given,  in  order  that 
they  may  avail  themselves  of  the  power  of  God  unto  salva- 
tion in  this  life.— Ocf.  C.  R.,  1907,  p.  2. 

OUR  MISSION  is  TO  SAVE.  Our  mission  is  to  save,  to 
preserve  from  evil,  to  exalt  mankind,  to  bring  light  and  truth 
into  the  world,  to  prevail  upon  the  people  of  the  earth  to 
walk  righteously  before  God,  and  to  honor  him  in  their  lives 
and  with  the  first  fruits  of  all  their  substance  and  increase, 
that  their  barns  may  be  filled  with  plenty  and,  figuratively 
speaking,  that  "their  presses  may  burst  out  with  new  wine." 
—Apr.  C.R.,  1907,  p.  118. 


PURPOSE  AND  MISSION  OF  CHURCH      89 

THE  GOSPEL  MESSAGE.  I  rejoice  exceedingly  in  the 
truth.  I  thank  God  every  day  of  my  life  for  his  mercy  and 
kindness,  and  loving  care  and  protection  that  has  been  ex- 
tended to  all  his  people,  and  for  the  many  manifestations  of 
his  peculiar  mercy  and  blessings  that  have  been  extended 
unto  us  throughout  all  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land 
and  through  all  the  years  since  the  organization  of  the 
Church,  on  the  6th  of  April,  1830. 

The  Lord,  about  that  time,  or  soon  after,  decreed  a  de- 
cree which  he  said  his  people  should  realize,  that  they  should 
begin  from  that  very  hour  to  prevail  over  all  their  enemies, 
and,  inasmuch  as  they  continued  to  be  faithful  in  keeping 
his  laws  he  had  given  unto  them,  it  was  decreed  that  they 
should  prevail  until  all  enemies  were  subdued — not  subdued 
by  violence,  nor  the  spirit  of  contention  nor  of  warfare,  but 
subdued  by  the  power  of  eternal  truth,  by  the  majesty  and 
power  of  Almighty  God,  but  by  the  increased  power  of 
the  righteous  and  of  the  upright  covenanted  people  of  God — 
should  be  magnified  and  increased,  until  the  world  shall  bow 
and  acknowledge  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  and  that  there  is 
a  people  preparing  for  his  coming  in  power  and  glory  to 
the  earth  again. 

We  carry  to  the  world  the  olive  branch  of  peace.  We 
present  to  the  world  the  law  of  God,  the  word  of  the  Lord, 
the  truth,  as  it  has  been  revealed  in  the  latter  day  for  the 
redemption  of  the  dead  and  for  the  salvation  of  the  living. 
We  bear  no  malice  or  evil  toward  the  children  of  men.  The 
spirit  of  forgiveness  pervades  the  hearts  of  the  Saints  of 
God,  and  they  do  not  cherish  a  desire  or  feeling  of  revenge 
toward  their  enemies  or  those  who  hurt  or  molest  them  or 
seek  to  make  them  afraid;  but  on  the  contrary,  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  has  possession  of  their  spirits,  of  their  souls, 
and  of  their  thoughts ;  they  forgive  all  men,  and  they  carry 
no  malice  in  their  hearts  toward  any,  no  matter  what  they 
have  done.  They  say  in  their  hearts,  let  God  judge  between 


90  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

us  and  our  enemies,  and  as  for  us,  we  forgive  them,  and  we 
bear  no  malice  toward  any. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1902,  p.  2. 

WE  ARE  AS  LEAVEN.  While  it  may  be  said,  and  it  is  in 
a  measure  true,  that  we  are  but  a  handful  in  comparison 
with  our  fellow  men  in  the  world,  yet  we  may  be  compared 
with  the  leaven  of  which  the  Savior  spoke,  that  will  even- 
tually leaven  the  whole  world.  We  have  ample  assurance 
of  the  fulfilment  of  this  thought  in  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  the  cause  from  its  incipiency  until  the  present,  for 
it  has  steadily  and  increasingly  progressed  and  developed  in 
the  earth,  from  a  mere  half  dozen  of  men,  seventy-nine 
years  ago,  until  today  the  members  of  the  Church  may  be 
numbered  by  the  hundreds  of  thousands. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1909, 
p.  2. 

MAN  INSIGNIFICANT  COMPARED  TO  CAUSE.  We  are 
learning  the  great  truth  that  man  is  insignificant  in  his  in- 
dividually, in  comparison  to  the  mighty  cause  which 
involves  the  salvation  of  the  children  of  men,  living  and 
dead,  and  those  who  will  yet  live  in  the  earth.  Men  must 
set  aside  their  own  prejudices,  their  own  personal  desires, 
wishes  and  preferences,  and  pay  deference  to  the  great  cause 
of  truth  that  is  spreading  abroad  in  the  world. — Apr.  C.  R., 
1909,  p.  2. 

WHERE  THE  GOSPEL  SPIRIT  LEADS.  The  spirit  of  the 
gospel  leads  men  to  righteousness ;  to  love  their  fellow  men 
and  to  labor  for  their  salvation  and  exaltation ;  it  inspires 
them  to  do  good  and  not  evil,  to  avoid  even  the  appearance 
of  sin,  much  more  to  avoid  sin  itself.  This  is  indeed  the 
spirit  of  the  gospel,  which  is  the  spirit  of  this  latter-day  work, 
and  also  the  spirit  that  possesses  those  who  have  embraced 
it ;  and  the  aim  and  purpose  of  this  work  is  the  salvation, 
the  exaltation,  and  the  eternal  happiness  of  man,  both  in  this 
life  and  in  the  life  to  come. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1909,  p.  4. 

THE  FRUITS  OF  TRUE  RELIGION.  The  fruits  of  the 
Spirit  of  God — the  fruits  of  the  spirit  of  true  religion — are 


PURPOSE  AND  MISSION  OF  CHURCH      91 

peace  and  love,  virtue  and  honesty,  and  integrity,  and  fidel- 
ity to  every  virtue  known  in  the  law  of  God, — while  the  spirit 
of  the  world  is  vicious.  Read  the  5th  chapter  of  Galatians 
and  there  you  will  discover  the  difference  between  the  fruits 
of  the  Spirit  of  God  and  the  fruits  of  the  spirit  of  the  world. 
That  is  one  of  the  great  and  chief  differences  between  "Mor- 
monism,"  so  called,  and  the  theology  of  the  world.  If 
"Mormonism"  is  anything  at  all  more  than  other  religions, 
it  is  that  it  is  practical,  that  the  results  of  obedience  to  it 
are  practical,  that  it  makes  good  men  better  men,  and  that  it 
takes  even  bad  men  and  makes  good  ones  of  them.  That  is 
what  "Mormonism"  will  do,  if  we  will  only  permit  it  to  do 
it,  if  we  will  bow  to  its  mandates  and  adopt  its  precepts  in 
our  lives,  it  will  make  us  the  sons  and  the  daughters  of  God, 
worthy  eventually  to  dwell  in  the  presence  of  the  Almighty 
in  the  heavens.— Apr.  C.  R.}  1905,  p.  86. 

LATTER-DAY  SAINTS  POSSESS  THE  SPIRIT  OF  SALVATION. 
The  Latter-day  Saints  possess  the  spirit  of  salvation,  and 
not  the  spirit  of  destruction ;  the  spirit  of  life,  not  the  spirit 
of  death ;  the  spirit  of  peace,  not  the  spirit  of  disunion ;  the 
spirit  of  love  for  their  fellow  beings,  not  the  spirit  of  hate. 
And  for  the  enjoyment  of  this  spirit  by  the  Saints  of  the 
Most  High,  we  all  have  great  cause  to  render  praise  and 
thanksgiving  to  him  who  has  so  ordered  it,  and  has  given  to 
us  humility  to  receive  that  measure  of  his  Spirit  which  in- 
clines our  hearts  to  good  and  not  to  evil. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1905, 
p.  2. 

MAY  ISRAEL  FLOURISH.  May  Israel  flourish  upon  the 
hills  and  rejoice  upon  the  mountains,  and  assemble  together 
unto  the  place  which  God  has  appointed,  and  there  prosper, 
multiply  and  replenish  the  earth,  and  thence  spread  abroad 
throughout  the  land;  for  the  time  will  come  when  we  will 
find  it  necessary  to  fulfil  the  purposes  of  the  Almighty  by 
occupying  the  land  of  Zion  in  all  parts  of  it.  We  are  not 
destined  to  be  confined  to  the  valleys  of  the  mountains. 


92  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

Zion  is  destined  to  grow,  and  the  time  will  come  when  we 
will  cry  aloud,  more  than  we  do  today,  "Give  us  room  that 
we  may  dwell  I"— Apr.  C.  R.,  1907,  p.  118. 

THE  WORK  OF  THE  LORD  WILL  GROW.  The  kingdom 
of  God  and  the  work  of  the  Lord  will  spread  more  and  more ; 
it  will  progress  more  rapidly  in  the  world  in  the  future  than 
it  has  done  in  the  past.  The  Lord  has  said  it,  and  the  Spirit 
beareth  record ;  and  I  bear  testimony  to  this,  for  I  do  know 
that  it  is  true.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1909,  p.  7. 

THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD  TO  CONTINUE.  The  kingdom  of 
God  is  here  to  grow,  to  spread  abroad,  to  take  root  in  the 
earth,  and  to  abide  where  the  Lord  has  planted  it  by  his 
own  power  and  by  his  own  word  in  the  earth,  nevermore  to 
be  destroyed  nor  to  cease,  but  to  continue  until  the  purposes 
of  the  Almighty  shall  be  accomplished,  every  whit  that  has 
been  spoken  of  it  by  the  mouths  of  the  holy  prophets  since 
the  world  began.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1902,  p.  2. 

ZION  ESTABLISHED  TO  REMAIN.  Zion  is  established  in 
the  midst  of  the  earth  to  remain.  It  is  God  Almighty's 
work,  which  he  himself,  by  his  own  wisdom,  and  not  by  the 
wisdom  of  man,  has  restored  to  the  earth  in  the  latter  days, 
and  he  has  established  it  upon  principles  of  truth  and  right- 
eousness, of  purity  of  life  and  revelation  from  God,  that  it 
can  no  more  be  thrown  down  nor  left  to  another  people,  so 
long  as  the  majority  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints  will  abide  in  their  covenants  with  the  Lord  and 
keep  themselves  pure  and  unspotted  from  the  world,  as  all 
members  of  the  Church  should  keep  themselves.  Then  it 
will  be  as  God  has  decreed,  perpetual  and  eternal,  until  his 
will  is  accomplished  and  his  purposes  fulfilled  among  the 
children  of  men.  No  people  can  ever  prosper  and  flourish 
very  long  unless  they  abide  in  God's  truth.  There  is  nothing, 
no  individuality,  no  combined  influence  among  men,  that  can 
prevail  over  the  truth.  The  truth  is  mighty  and  it  will  pre- 
vail. It  may  be  slow  in  the  consummation  of  its  purpose,  in 


PURPOSE  AND  MISSION  OF  CHURCH      93 

the  accomplishment  of  the  work  that  it  has  to  do,  but  it  is 
and  will  be  sure ;  for  the  truth  cannot  and  will  not  fail,  for 
the  Lord  Almighty  is  behind  it.  It  is  his  work,  and  he  will 
see  to  it  that  it  is  accomplished.  The  kingdom  is  the  Lord's, 
and  the  Lord  is  capable  of  taking  care  of  it.  He  has  always 
taken  care  of  it.  I  want  to  say  to  you  that  there  never  was 
a  time  since  the  organization  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints,  when  a  man  led  the  Church,  not  for 
one  moment.  It  was  not  so  in  the  days  of  Joseph ;  it  was 
not  so  in  the  clays  of  Brigham  Young;  it  has  not  been  so 
since ;  it  never  will  be  so.  The  direction  of  this  work  among 
the  people  of  the  world  will  never  be  left  to  men.  It  is 
God's  work,  let  me  tell  you,  and  I  hope  you  will  put  it  down 
in  your  memoranda,  and  do  not  forget  that  it  is  the  Almighty 
that  is  going  to  do  this  work,  and  consummate  it,  and  not 
man.  No  man  shall  have  the  honor  of  doing  it,  nor  has  any 
man  ever  had  the  power  to  do  it  of  himself.  It  is  God's 
work.  If  it  had  been  the  work  of  man,  we  would  have  been 
like  the  rest  of  the  world,  and  it  would  not  have  been  true  of 
us  that  God  had  chosen  us  out  of  the  world,  but  we  would 
be  a  part  of  it,  and  "Hail  fellow,  well  met,"  with  it ;  but  it 
is  true  that  God  has  chosen  us  out  of  the  world;  therefore 
we  are  not  of  it;  therefore  they  hate  us  and  they  will  fight 
us  and  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  us  falsely,  as  they 
have  ever  done  from  the  beginning.  And  they  will  continue 
to  seek  the  destruction  of  the  Latter-day  Saints,  and  to  feel 
towards  us  in  the  future,  as  they  have  felt  in  the  past.  Now, 
don't  you  forget  it,  my  brothers  and  sisters.  When  you  go 
home,  if  you  have  not  been  in  the  habit  of  doing  it,  or  if 
you  have  neglected  your  duty,  when  you  go  home  today  or 
to  your  homes  in  distant  settlements,  carry  this  injunction 
with  you:  Go  into  your  secret  chambers — go  into  your 
prayer-rooms — and  there  by  yourselves  or  with  your  family 
gathered  around  you,  bow  your  knees  before  God  Almighty 
in  praise  and  in  thanksgiving  to  him  for  his  merciful  prov- 


94  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

idence  that  has  been  over  you  and  over  all  his  people  from 
the  inception  of  this  work  down  to  the  present.  Remember 
that  it  is  the  gift  of  God  to  man,  that  it  is  his  power  and  his 
guiding  influence  that  has  accomplished  what  we  see  has 
been  accomplished.  It  has  not  been  done  by  the  wisdom  of 
men.  It  is  proper  we  should  give  honor  to  those  who  have 
been  instrumental  in  bringing  to  pass  much  righteousness. 
They  are  instruments  in  God's  hand,  and  we  should  not 
ignore  that  they  are  such  instruments,  and  we  should  honor 
them  as  such ;  but  when  we  undertake  to  give  them  the 
honor  for  accomplishing  this  work  and  take  the  honor  from 
God  who  qualified  the  men  to  do  the  work,  we  are  doing 
injustice  to  God.  We  are  robbing  him  of  the  honor  that 
rightfully  belongs  to  him,. and  giving  it  to  men  who  are  only 
instrumental  in  the  hands  of  God  in  accomplishing  his  pur- 
poses.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1905,  pp.  5,  6. 

THE  PROGRESS  OF  GOD'S  WORK  CANNOT  BE  STOPPED. 
Xow,  we  are  thankful  to  the  Lord  that  we  are  counted 
worthy  to  be  taken  notice  of  by  the  devil.  I  would  fear 
very  much  for  our  safety  if  we  had  fallen  into  a  condition 
where  the  devil  ceased  to  be  concerned  about  us.  So  long 
as  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  enjoyed  by  you,  so  long  as  you 
are  living  your  religion  and  keeping  the  commandments  of 
the  Lord,  walking  uprightly  before  him,  I  assure  you  that 
the  adversary  of  souls  will  not  rest  easy ;  he  will  be  dis- 
contented with  you,  will  find  fault  with  you,  and  he  will 
arraign  you  before  his  bar ;  but  that  will  not  hurt  you  very 
much  if  you  will  just  keep  on  doing  right.  You  do  not  need 
to  worry  in  the  least,  the  Lord  will  take  care  of  you  and 
bless  you,  he  will  also  take  care  of  his  servants,  and  will 
bless  them  and  help  them  to  accomplish  his  purposes ;  and  all 
the  powers  of  darkness  combined  in  earth  and  in  hell  cannot 
prevent  it.  They  may  take  men's  lives ;  they  may  slay  and 
destroy,  if  they  will ;  but  they  cannot  destroy  the  purposes  of 
God  nor  stop  the  progress  of  his  work.  He  has  stretched 


PURPOSE  AND  MISSION  OF  CHURCH      95 

forth  his  hand  to  accomplish  his  purposes,  and  the  arm  of 
flesh  cannot  stay  it.  He  will  cut  his  work  short  in  right- 
eousness, and  will  hasten  his  purposes  in  his  own  time.  It 
is  only  necessary  to  try  with  our  might  to  keep  pace  with 
the  onward  progress  of  the  word  of  the  Lord,  then  God  will 
preserve  and  protect  us,  and  will  prepare  the  way  before  us, 
that  we  shall  live  and  multiply  and  replenish  the  earth,  and 
always  do  his  will ;  which  may  God  grant. — Oct.  C.  R., 
1905^  pp.  5,  6. 

DIVINITY  OF  THE  GOSPEL.  Somewhat  unexpectedly  I 
am  called  to  stand  before  you,  but  I  do  so  with  pleasure,  as 
I  have  a  testimony  to  bear  to  the  work  we  are  engaged  in ; 
and  it  gives  me  pleasure  when  an  opportunity  is  afforded 
to  give  expression  to  my  feelings  in  relation  to  that  work. 
That  we  have  the  gospel  and  have  enjoyed  its  blessings,  and 
that  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel  have  been  administered  to 
us  as  Latter-day  Saints,  there  are  thousands  of  witnesses  in 
this  territory  and  in  many  places  in  the  world.  The  testimony 
of  the  truth  of  this  work  is  not  confined  to  one  or  to  a  few ; 
but  there  are  thousands  who  can  declare  that  they  know  it 
is  true,  because  it  has  been  revealed  to  them. 

We  as  a  people  are  increasing  in  numbers,  and  the  Lord 
Almighty  is  increasing  his  blessings  upon  us,  and  the  people 
are  expanding  in  their  understanding  and  in  the  knowledge 
of  the  truth.  I  feel  grateful  to  my  heavenly  Father  that  I 
have  been  permitted  to  live  in  this  generation,  and  have  been 
permitted  to  become  acquainted,  somewhat,  with  the  princi- 
ples of  the  gospel.  I  am  thankful  that  I  have  had  the  priv- 
ilege of  having  a  testimony  of  its  truth,  and  that  I  am  per- 
mitted to  stand  here  and  elsewhere  to  bear  my  testimony 
to  the  truth  that  the  gospel  has  been  restored  to  man. 

I  have  traveled  somewhat  among  the  nations  preaching 
the  gospel,  and  have  seen  something  of  the  conditions  of  the 
world,  and  to  a  certain  extent  have  become  acquainted  with 
the  feelings  of  men,  and  with  the  religions  of  the  world.  I 


96  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

am  aware  that  the  gospel,  as  revealed  in  the  Bible,  cannot  be 
found  in  the  world ;  the  ordinances  of  that  gospel  are  not  ad- 
ministered in  any  church  except  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints.  If  we  make  ourselves  acquainted 
with  the  tenets  of  the  religious  world  we  shall  find  that  they 
have  not  the  gospel  nor  its  ordinances ;  they  have  a  form 
of  godliness,  and  I  have  no  doubt,  are  as  sincere  as  we  who 
have  obeyed  the  gospel  as  revealed  from  heaven  in  these 
days.  But  they  are  devoid  of  the  knowledge  which  we  pos- 
sess, and  it  is  from  the  fact  that  they  deny  the  source  by 
which  they  might  receive  this  knowledge — namely,  revela- 
tion from  Jesus  Christ.  In  their  minds  they  have  closed  up 
the  heavens;  they  declare  that  God  has  revealed  all  that  is 
necessary,  that  the  canon  of  scripture  is  full,  and  that  no 
more  will  be  revealed.  Believing  thus,  they  close  up  the 
avenue  of  light  and  intelligence  from  heaven ;  and  this  will 
continue  so  long  as  they  continue  in  their  present  course  of 
unbelief.  They  will  not  listen  to  the  testimony  of  men  who 
tell  them  that  the  Lord  lives  and  that  he  is  able  to  reveal 
his  will  to  man  today,  as  ever.  They  will  not  heed  this 
testimony,  consequently  they  close  the  door  of  light  and  rev- 
elation. They  cannot  advance,  nor  learn  the  ways  of  God 
nor  walk  in  his  paths. 

We  testify  that  the  barriers  which  separated  man  from 
God  have  been  overcome,  that  the  Lord  has  again  communi- 
cated his  will  to  man.  "But,"  says  one,  "how  shall  we  be- 
come acquainted  with  these  things  How  can  we  know  that 
you  are  not  deceived?"  *To  all  such  we  say,  repent  of  your 
sins  in  all  sincerity,  then  go  forth  and  be  baptized,  and  have 
hands  laid  upon  you  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the 
Spirit  will  bear  record  to  you  of  the  truth  of  our  testimony, 
and  you  will  become  witnesses  of  it  as  we  are,  and  will  be 
able  to  stand  forth  boldly  and  testify  to  the  world  as  we  do. 
This  was  the  path  pointed  out  by  Peter  and  the  apostles  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  Almighty 


PURPOSE  AND  MISSION  OF  CHURCH      97 

rested  upon  them  with  great  power  to  the  convincing  of  the 
hearts  of  the  people  who  cried  out,  ''Men  and  brethren,  what 
shall  we  do?"  And  Peter  said  unto  them,  "Repent,  and  be 
baptized,  every  one  of  you,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for 
the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost."  This  was  the  counsel  given  them,  and  inas- 
much as  they  obeyed  it,  they  were  entitled  to  the  testimony 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  which  would  bring  peace  and  happiness, 
reveal  to  them  their  duties,  and  enable  them  to  understand 
their  relationship  to  God. 

If  we  look  at  the  condition  of  the  world  today,  we  must 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  peace  is  not  likely  soon  to  be 
established  on  the  earth.  There  is  nothing  among  the  nations 
that  tends  to  peace.  Even  among  the  religious  societies  the 
tendency  is  not  to  peace  and  union.  They  do  not  bring  men 
to  a  knowledge  of  God;  they  do  not  possess  the  "one  God, 
one  faith,  one  baptism,  and  one  hope  of  their  calling"  that 
are  spoken  of  in  the  Scriptures.  Every  man  has  gone  accord- 
ing to  his  own  notions,  independent  of  revelations,  and 
hence,  confusion  and  division  exist;  their  churches  are 
broken  up,  and  they  are  quarreling  and  contending  with 
each  other.  And  as  it  is  in  the  religious,  so  it  is  in  the  po- 
litical world ;  they  are  all  divided,  and  the  more  energy  they 
put  forth  to  make  proselytes,  the  greater  are  their  conten- 
tions, and  the  further  they  go  from  the  mark.  This  is  the 
condition  they  have  been  in,  and  the  course  they  have  been 
pursuing  for  almost  eighteen  hundred  years,  until  today  they 
have  become  so  divided  that  I  think  it  would  puzzle  anyone 
to  tell  how  many  religious  denominations  there  are  in  Chris- 
tendom. There  are  thousands,  too,  who,  in  consequence  of 
the  strife  and  contention  among  the  religious  sects,  have 
become  entirely  sceptical  respecting  religion  of  every  kind, 
and  they  have  concluded  that  there  is  no  God;  at  any  rate, 
that  there  is  no  God  among  "Christians" — that  all  religion- 
ists are  fanatics  and  are  deceived.  The  sectarian  systems 


98  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

of  religion  are  calculated  to  lead  men  of  reflection  and  intel- 
ligence into  scepticism,  to  cause  them  to  deny  all  interfer- 
ence of  God  with  men  and  their  affairs,  and  to  deny  even  his 
right  to  interfere. 

The  Lord  Almighty  is  the  Creator  of  the  earth,  he  is 
the  Father  of  all  our  spirits.  He  has  the  right  to  dictate 
what  we  shall  do,  and  it  is  our  duty  to  obey,  and  to  walk 
according  to  his  requirements.  This  is  natural,  and  per- 
fectly easy  to  be  comprehended.  The  gospel  has  been  re- 
stored to  the  earth,  and  the  priesthood  again  established,  and 
both  are  enjoyed  by  this  people ;  but  those  unacquainted  with 
the  workings  of  the  gospel  and  the  priesthood  look  upon  us 
with  wonder,  and  are  astonished  at  the  union  that  exists  in 
our  midst.  We  move  as  a  man,  almost;  we  hearken  to  the 
voice  of  our  leader;  we  are  united  in  our  faith  and  in  our 
works.  The  world  can  not  understand  this,  and  they  behold 
it  with  wonder. 

Let  me  tell  my  brethren  and  friends  that  this  is  one  of 
the  effects  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  We  have  become 
united  in  our  faith  by  one  baptism ;  we  know  that  Jesus 
Christ  lives,  we  know  that  he  is  our  Savior  and  Redeemer; 
we  have  a  testimony  of  this,  independent  of  any  written 
books,  and'  we  testify  of  these  things  to  the  world.  This 
unison  in  the  midst  of  the  people  called  Latter-day  Saints, 
and  their  prosperity,  are  hard  for  a  great  many  to  under- 
stand. I  have,  however,  heard  it  said,  that  we  boast  that  we 
are  not  so  wealthy  as  our  neighbors.  But  when  our  circum- 
stances, and  the  condition  of  our  country  when  we  came  here 
are  considered,  I  think  this  statement  cannot  be  sustained. 
When  we  came  here  we  were  penniless,  and  we  have  not  had 
the  advantage  of  wealth  or  commerce  to  help  to  enrich  us, 
but  all  we  possess,  is  the  result  of  our  own  physical  labor 
and  the  blessing  of  God.  We  have  labored  under  great 
disadvantages  in  freighting  our  goods  and  machinery  over 
these  vast  plains,  and  besides  this  we  have  had  a  barren 


PURPOSE  AND  MISSION  OF  CHURCH      99 

soil  and  drouth  to  contend  with,  and  when  all  these  things 
are  considered,  I  think  we  have  been  prospered  more  than 
any  other  people.  And  as  it  has  been  in  the  past  so  will  it 
be  in  the  future — we  will  increase,  and  extend  our  borders, 
for  this  is  the  work  of  God ;  we  are  his  people,  and  he  will 
continue  to  bless  us  as  he  has  done  hitherto. 

Our  business  is  to  learn  our  duties  one  towards  an- 
other and  towards  our  leaders.  This  is  a  lesson  that  we 
seem  rather  slow  to  learn.  But  it  should  be  with  us :  when 
our  leaders  speak  it  is  for  us  to  obey ;  when  they  direct,  we 
should  go;  when  they  call,  we  should  follow.  Not  as  be- 
ings who  are  enslaved  or  in  thraldom ;  we  should  not  obey 
blindly,  as  instruments  or  tools.  No  Latter-day  Saint  acts 
in  this  manner;  no  man  or  woman  who  has  embraced  the 
gospel  has  ever  acted  in  this  way;  but  on  the  contrary  men 
and  women  have  felt  to  listen  cheerfully  to  the  counsels  of 
the  servants  of  God  as  far  as  they  were  able  to  comprehend 
them.  The  difficulty  is  not  in  getting  the  Latter-day  Saints  to 
do  right,  but  in  getting  them  to  comprehend  what  is  right.  We 
have  obeyed  the  counsels  of  our  leaders  because  we  have 
known  they  have  been  inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit  and  because 
we  positively  have  known  that  their  counsels  have  been  given 
for  our  good.  We  do  know  and  have  always  known  that  our 
leaders  have  been  inspired  with  wisdom  superior  to  that 
which  we  possess.  For  this  reason  we  take  hold  of  every- 
thing they  present  to  us  for  the  good  of  Zion. 

We  are  engaged  in  the  great  latter-day  work  of  preach- 
ing the  gospel  to  the  nations,  gathering  the  poor,  and  build- 
ing up  Zion  upon  the  earth.  We  are  working  for  the  tri- 
umph of  righteousness,  for  the  subjugation  of  sin  and  the 
errors  of  the  age  in  which  we  live.  It  is  a  great  and  glorious 
work.  We  believe  it  is  right  to  love  God  with  all  our  hearts, 
and  to  love  our  neighbors  as  ourselves.  We  believe  it  is 
wrong  to  lie,  steal,  commit  adultery,  or  do  any  act  forbidden 
by  the  gospel  of  Christ.  We  believe  in  all  the  teachings  of  the 


100  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

Savior  and  in  everything  that  is  good  and  moral,  and  calcu- 
lated to  exalt  mankind  or  to  ameliorate  their  condition,  to 
unite  them  in  doing  good.  These  are  among  the  principles 
of  the  gospel,  and  these  principles  have  been  taught  to  us 
from  the  commencement  of  our  career  as  members  of  this 
Church.  These  principles  are  carried  out  among  us  to  an 
extent  not  to  be  found  among  any  other  people.  We  do  not 
believe  in  worshiping  God  or  being  religious  on  the  Sabbath 
day  only ;  but  we  believe  it  is  as  necessary  to  be  religious  on 
Monday,  Tuesday  and  every  day  in  the  week,  as  it  is  on 
the  Sabbath  day ;  we  believe  that  it  is  necessary  to  do  to  our 
neighbors  as  we  would  they  should  do  unto  us,  during  the 
week  as  it  is  on  the  Sabbath.  In  short,  we  believe  it  is 
necessary  to  live  our  religion  every  day  in  the  week,  every 
hour  in  the  day,  and  every  moment.  Believing  and  acting 
thus,  we  become  strengthened  in  our  faith,  the  Spirit  of 
God  increases  within  us,  we  advance  in  knowledge,  and  we 
are  better  able  to  defend  the  cause  we  are  engaged  in. 

To  be  a  true  representative  of  this  cause  a  man  must 
live  faithful  to  the  light  that  he  has ;  he  must  be  pure,  virtu- 
ous and  upright.  If  he  comes  short  of  this  he  is  not  a  fair 
representative  of  this  work.  The  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ 
is  the  perfect  law  of  liberty.  It  is  calculated  to  lead  man 
to  the  highest  state  of  glory,  and  to  exalt  him  in  the  pres- 
ence of  our  heavenly  Father,  "with  whom  is  no  variableness 
neither  shadow  of  turning."  If  there  is  any  folly  to  be  seen 
in  the  midst  of  this  people,  it  is  the  folly  and  weakness  of 
man,  and  is  not  because  of  any  failing  or  lack  in  the  plan  of 
salvation.  The  gospel  is  perfect  in  its  organization.  It  is  for 
us  to  learn  the  gospel,  and  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
principles  of  truth,  to  humble  ourselves  before  God  that  we 
may  bring  ourselves  into  subjection  to  his  laws,  and  be  con- 
tinually willing  to  listen  to  the  counsels  ,of  those  whom  the 
Lord  has  appointed  to  guide  us. 


PURPOSE  AND  MISSION  OF  CHURCH    101 

We  know  that  God  has  spoken ;  we  testify  of  this.  We 
stand  as  witnesses  to  the  world  that  this  is  true.  We  ask 
no  odds  of  any  man,  community  or  nation  on  the  face  of  the 
earth,  in  relation  to  these  things.  We  bear  a  fearless  testi- 
mony that  they  are  true.  We  also  bear  testimony  that  Brig- 
ham  Young  is  a  prophet  of  the  living  God,  and  that  he  has 
the  revelations  of  Jesus  Christ ;  that  he  has  guided  this  peo- 
ple by  the  power  of  revelation  from  the  time  he  became  their 
leader  until  the  present,  and  he  has  never  failed  in  his  duty 
or  mission.  He  has  been  faithful  before  God,  and  faithful 
to  this  people.  We  bear  this  testimony  to  the  world.  We 
fear  not,  neither  do  we  heed  their  scorn,  contempt,  or  sneers. 
We  are  used  to  it.  We  have  seen  it  and  heard  it,  and  have 
become  inured  to  it.  We  know  that  the  One  in  whom  we 
trust  is  God,  for  it  has  been  revealed  to  us.  We  are  not  in 
the  dark,  neither  have  we  obtained  our  knowledge  from  any 
man,  synod  or  collection  of  men,  but  through  the  revelation 
of  Jesus.  If  there  be  any  who  doubt  us,  let  them  repent  of 
their  sins.  Is  there  any  harm  in  your  forsaking  your  fol- 
lies and  evils,  and  in  bowing  in  humility  before  God  for  his 
Spirit,  and  in  obedience  to  the  words  of  the  Savior,  being 
baptized  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  having  hands  laid  upon 
you  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  you  may  have  a 
witness  for  yourselves  of  the  truth  of  the  words  we  speak 
to  you?  Do  this  humbly  and  honestly,  and  as  sure  as  the 
Lord  lives,  I  promise  to  you  that  you  will  receive  the  testi- 
mony of  this  work  for  yourselves,  and  will  know  it  as  all  the 
Latter-day  Saints  know  it.  This  is  the  promise;  it  is  sure 
and  steadfast.  It  is  something  tangible;  it  is  in  the  power 
of  every  man  to  prove  for  himself  whether  we  speak  the 
truth  or  whether  we  lie.  We  do  not  come  as  deceivers  or 
imposters  before  the  world ;  we  do  not  come  with  the  inten- 
tion to  deceive,  but  we  come  with  the  plain,  simple  truth, 
and  leave  it  to  the  world  to  test  it  and  get  a  knowledge 


102  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

for  themselves.  It  is  the  right  of  every  soul  that  lives — the 
high,  low,  rich,  poor,  great  and  small,  to  have  this  testimony 
for  themselves  inasmuch  as  they  will  obey  the  gospel. 

Jesus  in  ancient  times  sent  his  disciples  forth  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature,  saying  they  that  believed  and 
were  baptized  should  be  saved,  but  they  that  believed  not 
should  be  damned.  And  said  he,  "These  signs  shall  follow 
them  that  believe :  In  my  name  shall  they  cast  out  devils ; 
they  shall  speak  with  new  tongues ;  they  shall  take  up  ser- 
pents ;  and  if  they  drink  any  deadly  thing,  it  shall  not  hurt 
them ;  they  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and  they  shall  re- 
cover.1' These  are  the  promises  made  anciently,  and  there 
are  thousands  in  this  territory  and  in  this  congregation  who 
.can  bear  testimony  that  they  have  realized  the  fulfilment 
of  these  promises  in  this  day.  The  healing  of  the  sick 
among  us  has  become  so  common  that  it  is  apparently  but 
little  thought  of.  We  have  also  seen  the  lame  made  to  walk, 
and  the  blind  to  receive  their  sight,  the  deaf  to  hear,  and  the 
dumb  to  speak.  These  things  we  have  seen  done  by  the 
power  of  God  and  not  by  the  cunning  or  wisdom  of  men ; 
we  know  that  these  signs  do  follow  the  preaching  of  the  gos- 
pel. Yet  these  testimonies  of  its  truth  are  but  poor  and  weak 
when  compared  with  the  whisperings  of  the  still  small  voice 
of  the  Spirit  of  God.  The  latter  is  a  testimony  that  none 
who  enjoy  it  can  deny ;  it  cannot  be  overcome,  for  it  brings 
conviction  to  the  heart  that  cannot  be  reasoned  away  or  dis- 
proved, whether  it  can  be  accounted  for  on  philosophical 
principles  or  not.  This  testimony  comes  from  God  and  con- 
vinces all  to  whom  it  is  given  in  spite  of  themselves,  and  is 
worth  more  to  me  than  any  sign  or  gift  beside,  because  it 
gives  peace  and  happiness,  contentment  and  quiet  to  my  soul. 
It  assures  me  that  God  lives,  and  if  I  am  faithful  I  shall  ob- 
tain the  blessings  of  the  celestial  kingdom. 

Is  this  unscriptural  or  contrary  to  reason  or  to  any  re- 
vealed truth?  No,  it  is  in  compliance  with  and  in  cor- 


PURPOSE  AND  MISSION  OF  CHURCH    103 

roboration  of  all  revealed  truth  known  to  man.  The  Lord 
Almighty  lives,  and  he  operates  by  the  power  of  his  Spirit 
over  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  men  and  holds  the  nations 
of  the  earth  in  his  hands.  He  created  the  earth  upon  which 
we  dwell,  and  its  treasures  are  his ;  and  he  will  do  with  us 
according  as  we  merit.  As  we  are  faithful  or  unfaithful,  so 
will  the  Almighty  deal  with  us,  for  we  are  his  children,  and 
we  are  heirs  of  God  and  joint  heirs  with  Jesus  Christ. 

We  have  a  glorious  destiny  before  us ;  we  are  engaged 
in  a  glorious  work.  It  is  worth  all  our  attention,  it  is  worth 
our  lives  and  everything  the  Lord  has  put  into  our  posses- 
sion, and  then  ten  thousand  times  more.  Indeed  there  is  no 
comparison,  it  is  all  in  all,  it  is  incomparable.  It  is  all  that 
is  and  all  that  ever  will  be.  The  gospel  is  salvation,  and 
without  it  there  is  nothing  worth  having.  We  came  naked 
into  the  world  and  shall  go  hence  the  same.  If  we  were  to 
accumulate  half  the  world,  it  would  avail  us  nothing  so  far 
as  prolonging  life  here,  or  securing  eternal  life  hereafter. 
But  the  gospel  teaches  men  to  be  humble,  faithful,  honest 
and  righteous  before  the  Lord  and  with  each  other,  and  in 
proportion  as  its  principles  are  carried  out  so  will  peace  and 
righteousness  extend  and  be  established  on  the  earth,  and  sin, 
contention,  bloodshed  and  corruption  of  all  kinds  cease,  to 
exist,  and  the  earth  become  purified  and  be  made  a  fit  abode 
for  heavenly  beings ;  and  for  the  Lord  our  God  to  come  and 
dwell  upon,  which  he  will  do  during  the  Millennium. 

The  principles  of  the  gospel  which  the  Lord  has  revealed 
in  these  days  will  lead  us  to  eternal  life.  This  is  what  we 
are  after;  what  we  were  created  for;  what  the  earth  was 
created  for.  The  reason  that  we  are  here  is  that  we  may 
overcome  every  folly  and  prepare  ourselves  for  eternal  life 
in  the  future.  I  do  not  think  that  a  principle  of  salvation 
is  available  only  as  it  can  be  applied  in  our  lives.  For  in- 
stance, if  there  is  a  principle  calculated  in  its  nature  to  save 
me  from  the  penalty  of  any  crime,  it  will  avail  me  nothing 


104  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

unless  I  act  upon  it  this  moment.  If  I  do  this  and  continue 
to  do  so,  I  act  upon  the  principle  of  salvation,  and  I  am 
secure  from  the  penalty  of  that  crime  and  will  be  forever, 
so  long  as  I  abide  by  that  principle  or  law.  It  is  just  so  with 
the  principles  of  the  gospel — they  are  a  benefit  or  not,  just  as 
they  are  or  are  not  applied  in  our  lives. 

Then  let  us  be  faithful  and  humble;  let  us  live  the  re- 
ligion of  Christ,  put  away  our  follies  and  sins  and  the  weak- 
nesses of  the  flesh,  and  cleave  to  God  and  his  truth  with  un- 
divided hearts,  and  with  full  determination  to  fight  the  good 
fight  of  faith  and  continue  steadfast  to  the  end,  which  may 
God  grant  us  power  to  do  is  my  prayer  in  the  name  of 
Jesus.  Amen. — Discourse,  Nov.  15,  1868,  Journal  of  Dis- 
courses, Vol.  12,  pp.  326-332,  1869. 

THE  GOSPEL  ALL  COMPREHENSIVE.  The  gospel  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  embraces  all  the  laws  and  ordinances 
necessary  for  the  salvation  of  man.  Paul  declared  it  to  be 
the  "power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  be- 
lieveth."  No  man  can  be  saved  in  opposition  to  its  saving 
ordinances,  but  must  receive  each  ordinance  in  the  spirit  of 
humility  and  faith.  Technically,  the  term  "gospel"  signifies 
"good  news,"  and  is  said  to  be  taken  from,  or  founded  on,  the 
annunciation  of  the  angel  who  appeared  to  the  shepherds  at 
the  time  of  the  Savior's  birth,  declaring,  "Behold,  I  bring  you 
good  tidings  of  great  joy,  which  shall  be  to  all  people." 

In  the  theological  sense,  the  gospel  means  more  than 
just  the  tidings  of  good  news  with  accompanying  joy  to  the 
souls  of  men,  for  it  embraces  every  principle  of  eternal  truth. 
There  is  no  fundamental  principle,  or  truth,  anywhere  in  the 
universe,  that  is  not  embraced  in  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  it  is  not  confined  to  the  simple  first  principles,  such  as 
faith  in  God,  repentance  from  sin,  baptism  for  the  remission 
of  sins  and  the  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  although  these  are  absolutely  essential  to  salvation 
and  exaltation  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 


PURPOSE  AND  MISSION  OF  CHURCH    105 

The  laws  known  to  man  as  the  "laws  of  nature,"  by 
which  the  earth  and  all  things  on  it  are  governed,  as  well 
as  the  laws  which  prevail  throughout  the  entire  universe,  by 
which  the  heavenly  bodies  are  controlled  and  to  which  they 
are  obedient  in  all  things,  are  all  circumscribed  and  in- 
cluded in  the  gospel.  Every  natural  law  or  scientific  prin- 
ciple that  man  has  truly  discovered,  but  which  was  always 
known  to  God,  is  a  part  of  the  gospel  truth.  There  never 
was  and  never  will  be  any  conflict  between  truth  revealed 
by  the  Lord  to  his  servants,  the  prophets,  and  truth  revealed 
by  him  to  the  scientist,  who  makes  his  discoveries  through 
his  research  and  study. 

There  is  a  great  deal  that  is  taught  in  the  religions  of 
the  world  as  gospel  truth  that  the  Lord  never  did  reveal, 
and  which  is  not  in  harmony  with  revealed  religion.  There 
is  also  much  that  is  taught  in  the  world  of  science  that  the 
Lord  never  did  reveal,  which  is  in  conflict  with  the  truth.  A 
great  deal  that  man  has  put  forth  as  scientific  theory  is 
founded  in  error  and  therefore  cannot  prevail.  The  con- 
flict between  religion  and  science  is  founded  in  error  and 
therefore  cannot  pervail.  The  conflict  between  religion  and 
science  is  due  to  the  fact  that  there  are  many  ideas  ad- 
vanced in  false  forms  of  religion  and  false  conclusions 
reached  by  men  of  science.  Truth  and  error  can  never 
agree;  but  truth,  no  matter  where  it  is  found,  is  consistent 
and  will  always  harmonize  with  every  other  truth.  The  Lord 
has  stated  it  as  follows : 

"For  intelligence  cleaveth  unto  intelligence;  wisdom 
receiveth  wisdom ;  truth  embraceth  truth ;  virtue  loveth  vir- 
tue; light  cleaveth  unto  light;  mercy  hath  compassion  on 
mercy,  and  claimeth  her  own." — Doc.  and  Cov.  88:40. 

The  Lord  has  revealed  that  man  was  formed  in  his 
image  and  that  we  are  his  offspring.  This  is  a  glorious  gos- 
pel truth.  Anything  that  we  may  be  taught,  whether  in 
false  forms  of  religion  or  in  the  field  of  science  in  conflict 


106  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

with  this  great  truth  cannot  endure,  for  it  is  error.  It  may 
be  cherished  for  a  season  and  seem  to  prevail,  as  many 
falsehoods  have  done  in  the  past  when  put  forth  as  truth, 
but  the  time  will  come  when  all  theories,  ideas  and  opinions 
which  are  not  in  harmony  with  that  which  the  Lord  has  de- 
clared, must  come  to  an  end ;  for  that  which  remains  and 
will  endure  and  abide  forever,  will  be  the  truth,  even  the 
gospel  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ. — Juvenile  In- 
structor, Vol.  51,  pp.  164, 165,  March,  1916. 

LET  YOUR  LIGHT  SHINE.  Christ,  teaching  his  disciples, 
called  attention  to  the  importance  of  their  position  and  place 
in  the  world.  Though  poor  and  despised  of  men,  yet  he  told 
them  they  were  the  salt  of  the  earth,  the  light  of  the  world. 

Then  he  encouraged  them  to  effort  and  achievement  by 
showing  them  that  their  exalted  position  would  avail  them 
little,  unless  they  made  proper  use  of  their  high  callings. 

These  conditions  and  instructions  apply  admirably  to 
the  Latter-day  Saints,  who  are  indeed  the  salt  of  the  earth, 
and  in  whom  is  vested  the  gospel  light  of  the  world ;  who,  as 
the  apostle  said  of  the  Former-day  Saints,  are  a  chosen  gen- 
eration, a  royal  priesthood,  an  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people ; 
that  they  should  show  forth  the  praises  of  him  who  called 
them  out  of  darkness  into  his  marvelous  light. 

But  all  this  availeth  little  or  nothing,  unless  the  Saints 
consider  themselves  of  some  consequence,  and  let  their  light 
shine,  collectively  and  individually ;  unless  they  are  model 
in  their  behavior,  honest,  zealous  in  the  spread  of  truth,  tol- 
erant of  their  neighbors,  "having  your  conversation  honest 
among  the  Gentiles ;  that  whereas  they  speak  against  you  as 
evil-doers,  they  may  by  your  good  works,  which  they  shall 
behold,  glorify  God  in  the  day  of  visitation." 

One  fault  to  be  avoided  by  the  Saints,  young  and  old,  is 
the  tendency  to  live  on  borrowed  light,  with  their  own  hidden 
under  a  bushel;  to  permit  the  savor  of  their  salt  of  knowl- 


PURPOSE  AND  MISSION  OF  CHURCH    107 

edge  to  be  lost;  and  the  light  within  them  to  be  reflected, 
rather  than  original. 

Every  Saint  should  not  only  have  the  light  within  him- 
self, through  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  his  light 
should  so  shine  that  it  may  be  clearly  perceived  by  others. 

Men  and  women  should  become  settled  in  the  truth,  and 
founded  in  the  knowledge  of  the  gospel,  depending  upon  no 
person  for  borrowed  or  reflected  light,  but  trusting  only 
upon  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  is  ever  the  same,  shining  forever 
and  testifying  to  the  individual  and  the  priesthood,  who  live 
in  harmony  with  the  laws  of  the  gospel,  of  the  glory  and 
the  will  of  the  Father.  They  will  then  have  light  everlasting, 
which  cannot  be  obscured.  By  its  shining  in  their  lives,  they 
shall  cause  others  to  glorify  God;  and  by  their  well-dping 
put  to  silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish  men,  and  show  forth 
the  praises  of  him  who  hath  called  them  out  of  darkness 
into  his  marvelous  light. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  8,  pp. 
60-62,  1904,5. 

No  CAUSE  FOR  WORRY.  The  Saints  and  their  leaders 
have  redeemed  the  waste  places,  founded  Christian  homes, 
churches,  and  schools;  established  industries — because  of 
the  very  nature  of  their  necessities.  Why  hsould'  they 
not  be  permitted  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  toil,  and 
why  be  sneered  at  and  condemned  for  their  energy  and 
enterprise,  and  especially  by  men  who  prove  themselves  to 
be  hypocrites  and  liars,  who  live  on  what  others  have  pro- 
duced? Are  the  Saints  to  be  condemned  because  they  have 
appropriated  the  land,  paid  for  it  by  hard  labor,  cultivated 
and  made  the  best  out  of  it  by  their  united  strength,  under 
the  inspired  direction  of  wise  leaders?  It  will  be  noted  that 
it  is  not  the  people  who  are  complaining,  for  they  have  been 
assisted  in  many  ways  to  better  themselves  by  such  leaders  ; 
but  it  is  the  ministers,  who  have  no  interest  whatever,  either 
in  our  material  or  spiritual  advancement.  And  then  again, 


108  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

are  such  leaders  to  be  condemned  because  they  have  directed 
and  led  the  way  in  these  things?  Had  they  not  done  so, 
whence  would  our  enterprises,  our  temporal  salvation,  have 
come?  Never  by  the  help  of  sectarian  ministers,  that  much 
is  true,  at  least. 

No ;  young  man,  you  need  not  be  troubled  over  minis- 
terial accusations  against  this  people,  nor  over  what  the  peo- 
ple of  the  world  say  against  us.  I  have  no  fears  for  the 
Church  from  these  sources,  but  I  confess  I  have  fears  when 
our  young  men  begin  to  weaken,  and  to  take  sides  against 
their  fathers ;  to  profess  to  think  that  the  priesthood  is  selfish 
and  self-seeking;  to  follow  lies  and  accusations  rather  than 
plain  truth;  to  join  in  derision  against  the  leaders  of  the 
Saints,  and  to  laugh  when  unfriendly  editors  and  ministers 
hold  them  up  to  ridicule.  I  fear,  when  young  men  deny  the 
truth  and  follow  falsehood ;  when  they  become  self-sufficient, 
unvirtuous,  worldly  and  proud ;  when  the  sterling  qualities 
of  their  fathers  are  derided  by  them;  when  they  seek  the 
plaudits  of  men  of  the  world,  rather  than  the  kingdom  of 
God  and  his  righteousness. 

There  is  no  genuine  truth  in  the  arraignment  of  the 
Church  and  her  officers  by  the  ministers,  but  much  to  you, 
young  men,  in  the  way  you  look  upon  it,  and  in  your  acts 
and  decisions.  Especially,  without  careful  consideration, 
should  you  pay  no  attention  to  the  accusation  of  ministers, 
to  whom  with  force  the  sentiment  of  Emerson  applies :  "We 
want  men  and  women  who  shall  renovate  life  and  our  social 
state,  but  we  see  that  most  natures  are  insolvent — cannot 
satisfy  their  own  wants,  have  an  ambition  out  of  all  propor- 
tion to  their  practical  force,  and  so  do  lean  and  beg  day  and 
night  continually." 

I  say  that  nothing  can  bring  peace  to  our  young  men 
in  this  world  save  the  triumphs  of  the  principles  of  truth 
which  have  been  revealed  of  God  to  the  Latter-day  Saints, 
for  our  doctrines  are  the  practical  precepts  of  the  gospel  of 


PURPOSE  AND  MISSION  OF  CHURCH    109 

Jesus  Christ,  and  to  behold  its  triumph  should  be  the  over- 
powering ambition  and  desire  of  every  righteous  soul.  This 
is  spiritual  salvation  which  includes  the  temporal.  Seek  to 
know  the  worth  thereof,  and  let  these  men's  ravings  be  put 
under  your  feet.  Remember  that  "when  a  man  lives  with 
God  his  voice  shall  be  as  sweet  as  the  murmur  of  the  brook 
and  the  rustle  of  the  corn."  The  Saints  and  their  leaders 
strive  diligently  to  this  end. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  7, 
p.  303,  February,  1904. 

THE  GOSPEL  A  SHIELD  FROM  TERROR.  We  hear  about 
living  in  perilous  times.  We  are  in  perilous  times,  but  I  do 
not  feel  the  pangs  of  that  terror.  It  is  not  upon  me.  I  pro- 
pose to  live  so  that  it  will  not  rest  upon  me.  I  propose  to 
live  so  that  I  shall  be  immune  from  the  perils  of  the  world, 
if  it  be  possible  for  me  to  so  live,  by  obedience  to  the  com- 
mandments of  God  and  to  his  laws  revealed  for  my  guidance. 
No  matter  what  may  come  to  me,  if  I  am  only  in  the  line 
of  my  duty,  if  I  am  in  fellowship  with  God,  if  I  am  worthy 
of  the  fellowship  of  my  brethren,  if  I  can  stand  spotless  be- 
fore the  world,  without  blemish,  without  transgression  of 
the  laws  of  God,  what  does  it  matter  to  me  what  may  hap- 
pen to  me  ?  I  am  always  ready,  if  I  am  in  this  frame  of  un- 
derstanding mind  and  conduct.  It  does  not  matter  at  all. 
Therefore  I  borrow  no  trouble  nor  feel  the  pangs  of  fear. 

The  Lord's  hand  is  over  all,  and  therein  I  acknowledge 
his  hand.  Not  that  men  are  at  war,  not  that  nations  are  try- 
ing to  destroy  nations,  not  that  men  are  plotting  against  the 
liberties  of  their  fellow  creatures,  not  in  those  respects  at 
all ;  but  God's  hand  is  not  shortened.  He  will  control  the 
results  that  will  follow.  He  will  overrule  them  in  a  way  that 
you  and  I,  today,  do  not  comprehend,  or  do  not  foresee,  for 
ultimate  good.  He  foresees  the  end  as  he  foresaw  that  war 
should  come  upon  all  the  nations  of  the  world,  and  as  the 
Prophet  has  declared  it  would.  The  Lord  knew  it  would 
come.  Why?  Because  he  knew  what  the  world  was  doing. 


110  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

He  knew  the  trend  of  the  spirit  of  men  and  of  nations.  He 
knew  what  the  results  would  be,  in  time.  He  knew  when 
the  time  would  be,  and  the  results  that  would  be  manifest, 
and  so  he  declared  it  by  the  voice  of  his  servants,  the  proph- 
ets;  and  now  we  see  the  fulfilment  of  the  predictions  made 
by  the  servants  of  God,  as  they  were  inspired  to  utter  them, 
when  they  declared  that  the  time  would  come  to  pass  when 
war  would  be  poured  out  upon  all  nations — not  to  fulfil  the 
purposes  of  God,  but  the  purposes  of  the  nations  of  the 
earth  in  consequence  of  their  wickedness.  It  may  be  a  very 
difficult  thing  for  me  with  the  range  of  words  that  I  pos- 
sess, to  express  my  thoughts  and  to  explain  my  full  intent; 
but  I  repeat  to  you,  that  the  Lord  God  Almighty  is  not 
pleased,  nor  was  it  his  purpose  or  design,  or  intent,  to  fore- 
ordain the  condition  that  the  world  is  in  today ;  nor  did  he 
do  so.  He  foresaw  what  would  come,  by  the  conduct  of 
men,  by  their  departure  from  the  Truth,  by  their  lack  of 
the  love  of  God,  and  by  the  course  that  they  should  pursue, 
inimical  to  the  well-being  of  his  children.  He  foresaw  what 
would  be,  but  he  had  given  them  their  agency,  under  which 
they  are  bringing  it  to  pass.  The  results  of  it,  eventually, 
will  be  overruled  for  the  good  of  those  who  shall  live  after, 
not  for  the  good  of  those  who  shall  destroy  themselves  be- 
cause of  their  wicked  propensities  and  crimes. — Improve- 
ment Era,  Vol.  20,  page  827,  July,  1917. 

THE  GOSPEL  TRUMPET.  If  we  are  in  the  line  of  our 
duty,  we  are  engaged  in  a  great  and  glorious  cause.  It  is 
very  essential  to  our  individual  welfare  that  every  man  and 
every  woman  who  has  entered  into  the  covenants  of  the 
gospel,  through  repentance  and  baptism,  should  feel  that 
as  individuals  it  is  their  bounden  duty  to  use  their  intelli- 
gence, and  the  agency  which  the  Lord  has  given  them,  for 
the  promotion  of  the  interests  of  Zion  and  the  establishment 
of  her  cause  in  the  earth. 

It  matters  not  how  devout,  honest,  or  sincere  we  might 


PURPOSE  AND  MISSION  OF  CHURCH    111 

be  in  the  profession  of  our  faith  in  God,  or  in  the  system 
of  religion  we  might  have  adopted,  and  which  we  believe 
to  be  the  everlasting  gospel,  without  repentance  and  baptism 
and  the  reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  constitute  the 
new  birth,  we  are  not  of  the  family  of  Christ,  but  are  aliens, 
estranged  from  God  and  his  laws,  and  in  this  fallen  condition 
we  shall  remain,  whether  in  the  body  or  in  the  spirit,  for 
time  and  for  eternity,  unless  we  render  obedience  to  the  plan 
devised  in  the  heavens  for  the  redemption  and  salvation  of 
the  human  family. 

The  Latter-day  Saints  may  say,  we  were  taught  this 
doctrine  by  the  elders  in  our  native  lands,  and  we  believed 
it  and  repented  of  our  sins,  and  were  baptized,  and  we  re- 
ceived the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  was  a  testimony 
to  us  that  we  had  done  the  will  of  the  Father,  and  since 
then  our  testimonies  have  often  been  confirmed  through  the 
manifestations  of  the  power  of  God,  and  the  renewal  of  his 
Spirit  in  our  hearts.  Why,  therefore,  say  they,  is  it  neces- 
sary to  refer  to  these  things  now?  We  perhaps  forget,  in 
consequence  of  the  things  of  time,  which  so  tempt  our  fallen 
nature,  that  having  been  born  anew,  which  is  the  putting 
away  of  the  old  man  sin,  and  putting  on  of  the  man  Christ 
Jesus,  we  have  become  soldiers  of  the  Cross,  having  enlisted 
under  the  banner  of  Jehovah  for  time  and  for  eternity,  and 
that  we  have  entered  into  the  most  solemn  covenants  to  serve 
God  and  to  contend  earnestly  for  the  establishment  of  the 
principles  of  truth  and  righteousness  on  this  earth  continu- 
ally while  we  live. 

In  referring  to  the  subject  of  baptism  as  essential  to  sal- 
vation, it  may  be  asked  by  some,  what  would  become  of  those 
who  heard  not  the  gospel  and  who  therefore  had  not  the  op- 
portunity of  being  baptized,  claiming  as  we  do  that  the 
gospel  was  taken  from  the  earth  in  consequence  of  its  being 
rejected  when  proclaimed  by  Jesus  and  his  apostles?  I  would 
say  to  such,  that  God  has  made  ample  provision  for  all  his 


112  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

children,  both  the  ignorant  and  the  learned ;  those  who  have 
not  had  the  gospel  preached  to  them  in  the  flesh,  will  hear 
it  in  the  spirit,  for  all  must  have  the  plan  of  salvation  pre- 
sented to  them  for  their  acceptance  or  rejection  before  they 
.can  become  amenable  to  the  law. 

In  connection  with  this  work  is  that  spoken  of  con- 
cerning Elijah  the  prophet;  namely,  "The  turning  of  the 
hearts  of  the  children  to  the  fathers,  and  the  hearts  of  the 
fathers  to  the  children,"  which  if  not  done  the  whole  earth 
will  be  smitten  with  a  curse. 

The  kingdom  of  God  must  be  erected  upon  the  princi- 
ples which  Christ  has  revealed,  upon  the  foundation  of  eter- 
nal truth ;  Jesus  himself  being  the  chief  corner-stone.  These 
holy  and  sublime  principles  must  be  observed  and  honored 
in  our  lives,  in  order  that  we  may  obtain  an  exaltation  with 
the  sanctified  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 

The  beauty  of  these  principles  is  that  they  are  true, 
and  the  satisfaction  derived  from  their  adoption  is  the 
knowledge  which  we  receive  convincing  us  of  this  fact.  We 
have  not  believed  a  fable,  neither  are  we  cherishing  a  cun- 
ningly devised  scheme,  but  we  have  been  inducted  into 
the  truth,  having  Christ  for  our  head,  who  is  our  forerun- 
ner, our  great  High  Priest  and  King. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  a  personage  who  acts  in  Christ's 
stead.  Just  before  the  risen  Redeemer  left  the  earth  he 
commanded  his  disciples  to  tarry  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem 
until  they  should  be  endowed  with  power  from  on  high. 
They  did  so,  and  agreeable  to  promise,  the  Comforter  came 
whilst  they  were  met  together,  filling  their  hearts  with  un- 
speakable joy,  insomuch  that  they  spake  in  tongues  and 
prophesied ;  and  the  inspiring  influence  of  this  holy  Being 
accompanied  them  in  all  their  ministerial  duties,  enabling 
them  to  perform  the  great  mission  in  which  they  had  been 
called  by  the  Savior. 

I  know  that  God  lives  and  that  he  has  revealed  himself. 


PURPOSE  AND  MISSION  OF  CHURCH    113 

I  know  that  the  Holy  Ghost  has  been  conferred  upon  the 
children  of  men,  and  that  the  gospel  has  been  restored  to 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  in  its  fulness.  I  know  that  the 
Holy  Priesthood,  which  is  the  power  of  God  delegated  to 
man,  has  been  restored  to  the  earth.  I  do  know  that 
God  has  delivered  his  people  and  that  he  will  continue  to 
deliver  us  and  lead  us  on  in  his  own  peculiar  way  from 
conquest  to  conquest,  from  victory  to  victory,  until  truth 
and  righteousness  gain  the  ascendency  in  this  his  earth,  in- 
asmuch as  we  remain  true  to  him  and  to  one  another. 

It  is  the  fool  who  has  said  in  his  heart,  "There  is  no 
God,"  and  it  would  indeed  be  a  weak  and  foolish  mind  that 
would  rest  satisfied  without  knowing  beyond  a  doubt  the 
Author  and  Source  of  his  religion,  when  the  opportunity  of 
ascertaining  the  fact  is  extended  to  him. 

I  know  the  fruits  of  my  religion  are  good,  they  are 
flavored  with  the  sweets  of  heaven,  and  they  impart  health 
and  life  to  the  soul,  and  I  know  that  God,  the  Creator  of 
heaven  and  earth,  is  its  author.  No  man  need  wonder 
whether  this  be  really  true  or  not,  for  all  may  know  for 
themselves ;  all  may  partake  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine  and  eat 
and  live ;  all  may  drink  of  the  eternal  spring,  and  thirst  no 
more.  These  things  I  declare  to  you  to  be  true  and  faithful. 
I  have  been  acquainted  with  them  from  my  youth,  and  I 
have  felt  their  influence  from  my  childhood.  I  have  seen 
the  effect  of  their  opposite,  and  I  know  whereof  I  speak.  I 
cannot  deny  these  things,  neither  can  any  man  who  has  ever 
known  them,  although  he  may  apostatize  from  the  Church, 
except  he  deny  himself  and  his  God. 

The  man  who  embraces  what  is  called  "Mormonism," 
but  which  is  really  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  lives 
according  to  its  precepts,  will  never  lie  nor  steal;  he  will 
not  dishonor  his  parents  nor  despise  his  poorer  brethren ;  he 
will  never,  no  never,  speak  against  the  Lord's  anointed  nor 
be  ashamed  to  own  his  God,  to  whom  he  owes  homage  and 


114  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

gratitude  now  and  forever ;  he  will  never  do  a  dishonorable 
act,  nor  fail  to  acknowledge  God  in  all  things,  neither  will 
he  refuse  to  render  implicit  obedience  to  the  revelations  of 
God  which  are  applicable  to  him.  It  is  true,  man  may  err 
in  judgment,  he  may  be  wanting  in  many  things  because  of 
his  fallen  nature,  but  the  system  of  salvation  is  perfect. 
Jesus  the  Only  Begotten  of  the  Father,  in  whom  there  is  no 
blemish,  is  its  author ;  he  is  the  standard  to  all  the  world,  and 
will  be  forever.  He  had  power  to  lay  down  his  life  and 
take  it  up  again,  and  if  we  keep  inviolate  the  covenants  of 
the  gospel,  remaining  faithful  and  true  to  the  end,  we  too, 
in  his  name  and  through  his  redeeming  blood,  will  have 
power  in  due  time  to  resurrect  these  our  bodies  after  they 
shall  have  been  committed  to  the  earth. — April  8,  1876, 
Journal  of  Discourses,  Vol.  18,  pp.  271-277,  1877. 

WHAT  CHURCH  LEADERS  ADVOCATE.  We  wish  to  ad- 
vocate the  principle  of  unity,  the  love  of  God  and  neighbor, 
the  love  of  a  purpose  that  is  great,  ennobling,  good  in  itself, 
and  calculated  to  exalt  man  and  bring  him  nearer  to  the 
likeness  of  the  Son  of  God. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  21, 
p.  98,  December,  1917. 

OUR  MESSAGE  ONE  OF  LOVE.  We  bring  a  message  of 
love.  We  wish  to  show  how  much  we  love  you,  and  to  find 
out  how  much  you  love  us  in  return. — Improvement  Era, 
Vol.  21,  p.  98,  December,  1917. 

WHENCE?  WHITHER?  We  want  to  know  where  we 
came  from,  and  where  we  are  going?  Where  did  we  come 
from?  From  God.  Our  spirits  existed  before  they  came 
to  this  world.  They  were  in  the  councils  of  the  heavens  be- 
fore the  foundations  of  the  earth  were  laid.  We  were  there. 
We  sang  together  with  the  heavenly  hosts  for  joy  when  the 
foundations  of  the  earth  were  laid,  and  when  the  plan  of  our 
existence  upon  this  earth  and  redemption  were  mapped  out. 
We  were  there ;  we  were  interested,  and  we  took  a  part  in 
this  great  preparation.  We  were  unquestionably  present  in 


PURPOSE  AND  MISSION  OF  CHURCH    115 

those  councils  when  that  wonderful  circumstance  occurred 
when  Satan  offered  himself  as  a  savior  of  the  world  if  he 
could  but  receive  the  honor  and  the  glory  of  the  Father  for 
doing  it.  But  Jesus  said,  "Father,  thy  will  be  done,  and 
the  glory  be  thine  forever."  Wherefore,  because  Satan  re- 
belled against  God,  and  sought  to  destroy  the  agency  of  man, 
the  Father  rejected  him  and  he  was  cast  out,  but  Jesus  was 
accepted.  We  were,  no  doubt,  there,  and  took  a  part  in  all 
those  scenes,  we  were  vitally  concerned  in  the  carrying  out 
of  these  great  plans  and  purposes,  we  understood  them,  and 
it  was  for  our  sakes  they  were  decreed,  and  are  to  be  con- 
summated. These  spirits  have  been  coming  to  this  earth  to 
take  upon  them  tabernacles,  that  they  might  become  like 
unto  Jesus  Christ,  being  "formed  in  his  likeness  and  image," 
from  the  morn  of  creation  until  now,  and  will  continue  un- 
til the  winding  up  scene,  until  the  spirits  who  were  destined 
to  come  to  this  world  shall  have  come  and  accomplished  their 
mission  in  the  flesh. — Deseret  Weekly  News,  1884,  Vol.  33, 
p.  130. 

LATTER-DAY  SAINTS  ARE  LAW-ABIDING.  I  wish  to  enter 
here  my  avowal  that  the  people  called  Latter-day  Saints,  as 
has  been  often  repeated  from  this  stand,  are  the  most  law- 
abiding,  the  most  peaceable,  long-suffering  and  patient  peo- 
ple that  can  today  be  found  within  the  confines  of  this  re- 
public, and  perhaps  anywhere  else  upon  the  face  of  the  earth ; 
and  we  intend  to  continue  to  be  law-abiding  so  far  as  the 
constitutional  law  of  the  land  is  concerned ;  and  we  expect  to 
meet  the  consequences  of  our  obedience  to  the  laws  and  com- 
mandments of  God  like  men.  These  are  my  sentiments 
briefly  expressed,  upon  this  subject. — Deseret  Weekly  News, 
1882,  Vol.  31,  p.  226. 


CHAPTER   VII 

The  First  Principles  of  the  Gospel 

How  THE  SINNER  MAY  BE  CLEANSED.  You  cannot 
take  a  murderer,  a  suicide,  an  adulterer,  a  liar,  or  one  who 
was  or  is  thoroughly  abominable  in  his  life  here,  and  simply 
by  the  performance  of  an  ordinance  of  the  gospel,  cleanse 
him  from  sin  and  usher  him  into  the  presence  of  God.  God 
has  not  instituted  a  plan  of  that  kind,  and  it  cannot  be  done. 
He  has  said  you  shall  repent  of  your  sins.  The  wicked  will 
have  to  repent  of  their  wickedness.  Those  who  die  without 
the  knowledge  of  the  gospel  will  have  to  come  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  it,  and  those  who  sin  against  light  will  have  to  pay 
the  uttermost  farthing  for  their  transgression  and  their  de- 
parture from  the  gospel,  before  they  can  ever  get  back  to  it. 
Do  not  forget  that.  Do  not  forget  it,  you  elders  in  Israel, 
nor  you,  mothers  in  Israel,  either;  and,  when  you  seek  to 
save  either  the  living  or  the  dead,  bear  it  in  mind  that  you 
can  only  do  it  on  the  principle  of  their  repentance  and  ac- 
ceptation of  the  plan  of  life.  That  is  the  only  way  in  which 
you  can  succeed. — Oct.  C.  R.}  1907,  pp.  6,  7. 

FALLACY  OF  DEATH-BED  REPENTANCE.  I  do  not  believe 
in  the  ideas  that  we  hear  sometimes  advanced  in  the  world, 
that  it  matters  but  little  what  men  do  in  this  life,  if  they 
will  but  confess  Christ  at  the  end  of  their  journey  in  life, 
that  that  is  all-sufficient,  and  that  by  so  doing  they  will 
receive  their  passport  into  heaven.  I  denounce  this  doctrine. 
It  is  unscriptural,  it  is  unreasonable,  it  is  untrue,  and  it  will 
not  avail  any  man,  no  matter  by  whom  this  idea  may  be  ad- 
vocated ;  it  will  prove  an  utter  failure  unto  men.  As  reason- 
able beings,  as  men  and  women  of  intelligence,  we  cannot 


FIRST  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE  GOSPEL     117 

help  but  admire  and  honor  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ, 
which  is  the  doctrine  of  God,  and  which  requires  of  every 
man  and  woman  righteousness  in  their  lives,  purity  in  their 
thoughts,  uprightness  in  their  daily  walk  and  conversation, 
devotion  to  the  Lord,  love  of  truth,  love  of  their  fellowman, 
and  above  all  things  in  the  world  the  love  of  God.  These 
were  the  precepts  that  were  inculcated  by  the  Son  of  God 
when  he  walked  among  his  brethren  in  the  meridian  of  time. 
He  taught  these  precepts;  he  exemplified  them  in  his  life, 
and  advocated  continually  the  doing  of  the  will  of  him  that 
sent  him.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1907,  p.  3. 

THE  CHANGE  THAT  COMES  WITH  REPENTANCE  AND 
BAPTISM.  That  change  comes  today  to  every  son  and  daugh- 
ter of  God  who  repents  of  his  or  her  sins,  who  humble  them- 
selves before  the  Lord,  and  who  seek  forgiveness  and  remis- 
sion of  sin  by  baptism  by  immersion,  by  one  having  author- 
ity to  administer  this  sacred  ordinance  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ.  For  it  is  this  new  birth  that  was  spoken  of  by  Christ 
to  Nicodemus  as  absolutely  essential  that  men  might  see  the 
kingdom  of  God,  and  without  which  no  man  could  enter  into 
the  kingdom.  Each  of  us  can  remember,  perhaps,  the 
change  that  came  into  our  hearts  when  we  were  baptized 
for  the  remission  of  our  sins.  Perhaps  it  is  not  proper  for 
one  to  speak  of  himself  or  of  his  own  experiences,  because 
there  may  be  those  within  the  sound  of  my  voice  who  object 
to  a  man  speaking  of  himself,  and  especially  when  he  shall 
say  any  good  of  himself ;  yet  I  speak  not  of  myself,  I  speak 
of  the  influence  and  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  I  experi- 
enced when  I  had  been  baptized  for  the  remission  of  my  sins. 
The  feeling  that  came  upon  me  was  that  of  pure  peace,  of 
love  and  of  light.  I  felt  in  my  soul  that  if  I  had  sinned — 
and  surely  I  was  not  without  sin — that  it  had  been  forgiven 
me;  that  I  was  indeed  cleansed  from  sin;  my  heart  was 
touched,  and  I  felt  that  I  would  not  injure  the  smallest  in- 
sect beneath  my  feet.  I  felt  as  if  I  wanted  to  do  good 


118  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

everywhere  to  everybody  and  to  everything.  I  felt  a  new- 
ness of  life,  a  newness  of  desire  to  do  that  which  was  right. 
There  was  not  one  particle  of  desire  for  evil  left  in  my  soul. 
I  was  but  a  little  boy,  it  is  true,  when  I  was  baptized;  but 
this  was  the  influence  that  came  upon  me,  and  I  know  that  it 
was  from  God,  and  was  and  ever  has  been  a  living  witness 
to  me  of  my  acceptance  of  the  Lord. 

Oh !  that  I  could  have  kept  that  same  spirit  and  that 
same  earnest  desire  in  my  heart  every  moment  of  my  life 
from  that  day  to  this.  Yet  many  of  us  who  have  received 
that  witness,  that  new  birth,  that  change  of  heart,  while  we 
may  have  erred  in  judgment  or  have  made  many  mistakes, 
and  often  perhaps  come  short  of  the  true  standard  in  our 
lives,  we  have  repented  of  the  evil,  and  we  have  sought  from 
time  to  time  forgiveness  at  the  hand  of  the  Lord ;  so  that 
until  this  day  the  same  desire  and  purpose  which  pervaded 
our  souls  when  we  were  baptized  and  received  a  remission 
of  our  sins,  still  holds  possession  of  our  hearts,  and  is  still 
the  ruling  sentiment  and  passion  of  our  souls.  Though  we 
may  at  times  be  stirred  to  anger,  and  our  wrath  move  us  to 
say  and  do  things  which  are  not  pleasing  in  the  sight  of 
God,  yet  instantly  on  regaining  our  sober  senses  and  recov- 
ering from  our  lapse  into  the  power  of  darkness,  we  feel 
humble,  repentant,  and  to  ask  forgiveness  for  the  wrong  that 
we  have  done  to  ourselves,  and  perchance  to  others.  The 
great,  earnest,  overwhelming  desire,  which  is  born  of  the 
truth  and  of  the  witness  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  hearts 
of  the  people  who  obey  the  truth,  assumes  sway  and  again 
takes  possession  of  our  souls,  to  lead  us  on  in  the  path  of 
duty.  This  is  my  testimony  and  I  know  it  is  true. — Apr.  C. 
R.}  1898,  pp.  65,  66. 

THE  NECESSITY  OF  BAPTISM.  "The  Light  has  come  to 
the  world,  and  he  who  will  not  see  it  shall  be  condemned." 
The  truth  is  here,  and  shall  men  living  now  be  heard  to  com- 
plain hereafter  that  they  have  not  the  truth  in  their  hearts  ? 


FIRST  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE  GOSPEL     119 

Certainly  not.  It  is  here  for  all  who  will  seek  it,  and  it  shall 
be  to  their  undoing  if  they  do  not  obtain  it. 

The  Savior  said  to  Nicodemus,  "except  a  man  be  born 
again,  he  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of  God,"  and  that  is 
true  today.  A  man  must  be  born  from  ignorance  into  truth, 
today,  before  he  can  expect  to  see  any  difference  between 
a  Latter-day  Saint  and  another  not  of  the  faith.  If  he  is 
not  so  born,  he  is  more  blind  than  the  one  whom  Christ 
healed,  for  having  eyes  he  sees  not,  and  having  ears,  hears 
not. 

Is  there  any  difference  between  the  baptized  and  the 
unbaptized  man  ?  All  the  difference  in  the  world,  I  tell  you, 
but  it  is  only  discernible  through  the  Spirit.  It  is  a  vast 
difference,  too  great  for  one  not  in  possession  of  the  Spirit 
to  comprehend.  Take  two  men,  they  may  be  equals  in  point 
of  goodness,  they  may  be  equally  moral,  charitable,  honest 
and  just,  but  one  is  baptized  and  the  other  is  not.  There  is 
a  mighty  difference  between  them,  for  one  is  the  son  of  God 
redeemed  by  compliance  with  his  laws,  and  the  other  remains 
in  darkness. 

The  Scriptures  say  that  a  rich  man  would  hardly  enter 
the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  it  does  not  mean  that  riches 
will  condemn  a  man,  not  at  all.  God  is  pleased  to  see  us 
acquire  riches  for  he  intends  ultimately  to  give  to  us  the 
whole  earth  as  an  eternal  inheritance,  but  it  is  the  love  of 
riches  that  kills.  A  great  gulf  separates  those  who  enter 
the  house  of  the  Lord  and  take  wives,  and  those  who  do  not 
thus  marry — a  tremendous  gulf,  but  to  the  unspiritual  eye 
no  difference  is  apparent. 

I  thank  God  for  "Mormonism,"  so  called;  it  is  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation.  It  is  the  duty  of  every  Latter- 
day  Saint  to  know  of  its  truth  and  to  exemplify  it.  Its  des- 
tiny is  to  overwhelm  error  and  supplant  it  with  righteous- 
ness and  peace, — From  a  sermon,  given  in  Logan,  Feb.  2, 
1909. 


120  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

WHEN  TO  BAPTIZE  CHILDREN.  We  confess  to  having 
been  considerably  surprised  when  attending  one  of  our  lat- 
est Sunday  School  conventions  on  learning  that  in  some 
wards  in  the  Church  only  once  or  twice  in  each  year  are 
opportunities  given  to  the  children  of  the  Saints  to  be  bap- 
tized. We  hold  the  opinion  that  in  every  stake  of  Zion  there 
should  be  opportunity  for  baptism  every  day  of  every  month 
and  every  month  in  every  year,  for  we  believe  that  it  is  an 
admirable  practice  where  parents,  in  conformity  with  the 
revelations  of  God,  have  taught  their  children  in  the  first 
principles  of  the  gospel — faith,  repentance  and  baptism,  to 
have  them  baptized  on  their  birthdays,  when  they  arrive  at 
the  age  of  eight  years.  This  practice  has  many  advantages. 
In  the  first  place,  when  a  child  is  baptized  on  his  birthday, 
he  has  no  difficulty  in  remembering  the  day  when  that  sacred 
ordinance  was  performed  in  his  case.  Again,  it  prevents  the 
tendency  manifested  by  some  people  to  delay  and  postpone 
duties  that  are  always  best  performed  in  their  proper  time 
and  season.  When  once  a  child  has  passed  the  eight  year 
mark,  there  appears  no  particular  necessity  for  the  immedi- 
ate performance  of  the  ordinance,  and  the  parents  are  apt  to 
put  it  off  from  day  to  day  and  from  week  to  week,  until 
months  have  passed  over,  and  the  matter  is  not  attended  to. 
Should  it  so  happen  that  in  this  interval  the  child  is  taken 
by  the  Lord,  then  this  rite  has  to  be  performed  in  his  behalf 
after  his  departure  from  our  midst.  How  much  better  it  is 
that  the  child  have  the  opportunity  of  doing  this  all- 
important  work  for  himself  or  herself. — Juvenile  Instructor, 
Vol.  40,  p.  337,  June  1,  1905. 

THROUGH  ATONEMENT  SINS  ARE  WASHED  AWAY. 
When  we  commit  sin,  it  is  necessary  that  we  repent  of  it 
and  make  restitution  as  far  as  lies  in  our  power.  When  we 
cannot  make  restitution  for  the  wrong  we  have  done,  then 
we  must  apply  for  the  grace  and  mercy  of  God  to  cleanse 
us  from  that  iniquity. 


FIRST  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE  GOSPEL     121 

Men  cannot  forgive  their  own  sins ;  they  cannot  cleanse 
themselves  from  the  consequences  of  their  sins.  Men  can 
stop  sinning  and  can  do  right  in  the  future,  and  so  far  their 
acts  are  acceptable  before  the  Lord  and  worthy  of  considera- 
tion. But  who  shall  repair  the  wrongs  they  have  done  to 
themselves  and  to  others,  which  it  seems  impossible  for  them 
to  repair  themselves  ?  By  the  atonement  of  Jesus  Christ  the 
sins  of  the  repentant  shall  be  washed  away,  though  they  be 
crimson  they  shall  be  made  white  as  wool.  This  is  the  promise 
given  to  you.  We  who  have  not  paid  our  tithing  in  the  past, 
and  are  therefore  under  obligations  to  the  Lord,  which  we 
are  not  in  a  position  to  discharge,  the  Lord  requires  that  no 
longer  at  our  hands,  but  will  forgive  us  for  the  past  if  we 
will  observe  this  law  honestly  in  the  future.  That  is  gener- 
ous and  kind,  and  I  feel  grateful  for  it. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1899, 
p.  42. 

CONDITIONS  FOR  BAPTISM.  No  person  can  be  properly 
baptized  unless  he  has  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
has  repented  of  his  sins,  with  a  repentance  that  need  not  be 
repented  of.  But  faith  comes  by  hearing  the  word  of  God. 
This  implies  that  the  candidate  must  be  taught.  Efficient 
teaching  and  preparation  must  precede  the  ordinance,  so 
that  the  candidate  may  have  a  proper  appreciation  and  con- 
ception of  its  purposes.  The  call  to  baptism,  in  the  mission 
of  our  Savior,  was  always  preceded  by  instructions  in  the 
doctrines  which  he  taught. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  14,  p. 
266. 

THE  FIRST  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE  GOSPEL.  As  Latter-day 
Saints  we  have  every  reason  to  rejoice  in  the  gospel,  and 
in  the  testimony  we  have  received  concerning  its  truth.  I 
repeat,  we  have  reason  to  rejoice  and  to  be  exceeding  glad, 
for  we  possess  the  testimony  of  Jesus,  the  spirit  of  prophecy, 
which  the  people  of  the  world  know  nothing  about,  nor  can 
they,  without  obedience  to  the  gospel. 

Jesus  thoroughly  understood  this  matter,  and  fully  ex- 


122  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

plained  it  when  he  said,  "Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he 
cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God."  On  first  reflection,  it 
would  seem  that  anything  so  clear,  reasonable  and  tangible 
could  be  easily  made  plain  to  the  understanding  of  all  men. 
Hence  the  feeling  that  has  prompted  many  of  the  Latter-day 
Saints  to  believe,  after  their  minds  have  been  enlightened 
by  the  Spirit  of  God — everything  being  made  so  plain  and 
clear  to  them,  that  they  had'  only  to  tell  their  friends  and 
kindred  what  they  had  learned  and  they  would  gladly  receive 
it.  But  how  disappointed,  after  they  had  presented  to  them 
the  truths  of  heaven  in  simplicity  and  plainness,  to  hear  them 
say,  "We  cannot  see  it !"  or,  "We  do  not  believe  it !"  or  per- 
haps bitterly  oppose  it,  which  is  by  far  the  most  common 
practice  of  the  world.  They  cannot  understand  it.  Why? 
Because,  as  Jesus  has  said,  no  man  can  see  the  kingdom  ex- 
cept he  is  born  again.  You  may  preach  the  gospel  to  the 
people  but  unless  they  humble  themselves  as  little  children 
before  the  Lord,  acknowledging  their  dependence  upon  him 
for  light  and  wisdom,  they  cannot  see  or  sense  it,  although 
you  may  preach  to  them  in  as  great  plainness  as  it  is  possible 
for  the  truth  to  be  conveyed  from  one  person  to  another. 
And  should  any  believe  your  testimony  it  would  only  be  be- 
lief. They  would  not  see  as  you  see — nor  comprehend  it,  as 
you  do — until  they  yield  obedience  to  the  requirements  of 
the  gospel,  and  through  the  remission  of  their  sins  receive 
the  Holy  Ghost.  Then  they,  too,  can  see  as  you  see,  for  they 
have  the  same  spirit ;  then  will  they  love  the  truth  as  you  do, 
and  may  wonder  why  they  could  not  comprehend  it  before, 
or  why  it  is  that  there  can  be  anybody  with  common  intel- 
ligence that  cannot  understand  truth  so  plain  and  forcible. 
First,  then,  it  is  necessary  to  have  faith  in  God,  faith 
being  the  first  principle  in  revealed  religion,  and  the  founda- 
tion of  all  righteousness. 

Faith  in  God  is  to  believe  that  he  is,  and  "that  he  is  the 
only  supreme  Governor  and  independent  Being,  in  whom  all 


FIRST  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE  GOSPEL     123 

fulness  and  perfection  and  every,  good  gift  and  principle 
dwell  independently,"  and  in  whom  the  faith  of  all  other 
rational  beings  must  centre  for  life  and  salvation ;  and  fur- 
ther, that  he  is  the  great  Creator  of  all  things,  that  he  is 
omnipotent,  omniscient,  and  by  his  works  and  the  power  of 
his  spirit  omnipresent. 

Not  only  is  it  necessary  to  have  faith  in  God,  but  also  in 
Jesus  Christ,  his  Son,  the  Savior  of  mankind  and  the  Medi- 
ator of  the  New  Covenant ;  and  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  who 
bears  record  of  the  Father  and  the  Son,  "the  same  in  all 
ages  and  forever." 

Having  this  faith,  it  becomes  necessary  to  repent.  Re- 
pent of  what?  Of  every  sin  of  which  we  may  have  been 
guilty.  How  shall  we  repent  of  these  sins?  Does  repent- 
ance consist  of  sorrow  for  wrong  doing?  Yes;  but  is  this 
all?  By  no  means.  True  repentance  only  is  acceptable  to 
God,  nothing  short  of  it  will  answer  the  purpose.  Then 
what  is  true  repentance?  True  repentance  is,  not  only  sor- 
row for  sins,  and  humble  penitence  and  contrition  before 
God,  but  it  involves  the  necessity  of  turning  away  from  them, 
a  discontinuance  of  all  evil  practice^  and  deeds,  a  thorough 
reformation  of  life,  a  vital  change  from  evil  to  good,  from 
vice  to  virtue,  from  darkness  to  light.  Not  only  so,  but  to 
make  restitution,  so  far  as  it  is  possible,  for  all  the  wrongs 
we  have  done,  to  pay  our  debts,  and  restore  to  God  and 
man  their  rights — that  which  is  due  to  them  from  us.  This 
is  true  repentance,  and  the  exercise  of  the  will  and  all  the 
powers  of  body  and  mind  is  demanded,  to  complete  this  glo- 
rious work  of  repentance ;  then  God  will  accept  it. 

Having  thus  repented,  the  next  thing  requisite  is  bap- 
tism, which  is  an  essential  principle  of  the  gospel — no  man 
can  enter  into  the  gospel  covenant  without  it.  It  is  the  door 
of  the  Church  of  Christ,  we  cannot  get  in  there  in  any  other 
way,  for  Christ  hath  said  it.  "Sprinkling,"  or  "pouring," 
is  not  baptism.  Baptism  means  immersion  in  water,  and 


124  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

is  to  be  administered  by  one  having  authority,  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Bap- 
tism without  divine  authority  is  not  valid.  It  is  a  symbol  of 
the  burial  and  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  must  be  done 
in  the  likeness  thereof,  by  one  commissioned  of  God,  in 
the  manner  prescribed,  otherwise  it  is  illegal  and  will  not  be 
accepted  by  him,  nor  will  it  effect  a  remission  of  sins,  the 
object  for  which  it  is  designed,  but  whosoever  hath  faith, 
truly  repents  and  is  "buried  with  Christ  in  baptism/'  by  one 
having  divine  authority,  shall  receive  a  remission  of  sins,  and 
is  entitled  to  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of 
hands. 

Only  those  who  are  commissioned  of  Jesus  Christ  have 
authority  or  power  to  bestow  this  gift.  The  office  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  to  bear  record  of  Christ,  or  to  testify  of  him, 
and  confirm  the  believer  in  the  truth,  by  bringing  to  his 
recollection  things  that  have  passed,  and  showing  or  reveal- 
ing to  the  mind  things  present  and  to  come.  "But  the  Com- 
forter, which  i3  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  the  Father  will  send 
in  my  name,  he  shall  teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  all  things 
to  your  remembrance,  whatsoever  I  have  said  unto  you." 
"He  will  guide  you  into  all  truth."  Thus,  without  the  aid 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  no  man  can  know  the  will  of  God,  or  that 
Jesus  is  the  Christ — the  Redeemer  of  the  world,  or  that  the 
course  he  pursues,  the  work  he  performs,  or  his  faith,  are 
acceptable  to  God,  and  such  as  will  secure  to  him  the  gift 
of  eternal  life,  the  greatest  of  all  gifts.  (John  14:26;  16:13.) 

"But,"  says  an  objector,  "have  we  not  the  Bible  and  are 
not  the  Holy  Scripture  able  to  make  us  wise  unto  salva- 
tion?" Yes,  provided  we  obey  them.  "All  Scripture  is 
given  by  inspiration  of  God,  and  is  profitable  for  doctrine, 
for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness; 
that  the  man  of  God  may  be  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished 
unto  all  good  works."  The  "good  works"  are  the  great 
desideratum.  The  Bible  itself  is  but  the  dead  letter,  it  is 


FIRST  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE  GOSPEL     125 

the  Spirit  that  giveth  life.  The  way  to  obtain  the  Spirit  is 
that  which  is  here  marked  out  so  plainly  in  the  Scriptures. 
There  is  no  other.  Obedience,  therefore,  to  these  principles 
is  absolutely  necessary,  in  order  to  obtain  the  salvation  and 
exaltation  brought  to  light  through  the  gospel. 

As  to  the  question  of  authority,  nearly  everything  de- 
pends upon  it.  No  ordinance  can  be  performed  to  the  acr 
ceptance  of  God  without  divine  authority.  No  matter  how 
fervently  men  may  believe  or  pray,  unless  they  are  endowed 
with  divine  authority  they  can  only  act  in  their  own  name, 
and  not  legally  nor  acceptably  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  in 
whose  name  all  these  things  must  be  done.  Some  suppose 
this  authority  may  be  derived  from  the  Bible,  but  nothing 
could  be  more  absurd.  The  Bible  is  but  a  book  containing 
the  writings-  of  inspired  men,  "profitable  for  doctrine,  for 
reproof,  for  correction  and  instruction  in  righteousness,"  as 
such  we  hold  it  is  sacred ;  but  the  Spirit,  power  and  author- 
ity by  which  it  is  written  cannot  be  found  within  its  lids,  nor 
derived  from  it.  "For  prophecy  came  not  in  old  time  by 
the  will  of  man ;  but  holy  men  of  God  spake  as  they  were 
moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  If  by  reading  and  believing 
the  Bible  this  authority  could  be  obtained,  all  who  read  the 
Bible  and  believed  it  would  have  it — one  equally  with  an- 
other. I  have  read  the  Bible,  and  I  have  as  good  reason  for 
believing  it  as  any  other  man,  and  do  believe  it  with  all  my 
heart;  but  this  does  not  give  me  authority  to  teach  men  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord,  nor  to  officiate  in  the  sacred  ordin- 
ances of  the  gospel.  Were  the  Scriptures  the  only  source 
of  knowledge,  we  would  be  without  knowledge  for  our- 
selves, and  would  have  to  rest  our  hopes  of  salvation  upon 
a  simple  belief  in  the  testimonies  and  sayings  of  others. 
This  will  not  do  for  me;  I  must  know  for  myself,  and  if  I 
act  as  a  teacher  of  these  things,  I  must  be  clothed  with 
the  same  light,  knowledge  and  authority  as  those  were  who 
acted  in  a  similar  calling  anciently.  Else  how  could  I  de- 


126  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

clare  the  truth  and  bear  testimony  as  they  did  ?  What  right 
would  I  have  to  say,  "thus  saith  the  Lord,"  and  call  upon 
man  to  repent  and  be  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  ?  or, 
that  "This  Jesus  hath  God  raised  up  [from  the  dead], 
whereof  we  all  [the  apostles]  are  witnesses"?  And,  there- 
fore, let  all  men  "know  assuredly  that  God  hath  made  that 
same  Jesus,"  who  was  crucified,  "both  Lord  and  Christ"  ? 
No  man,  without  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  enjoyed  by  the  ancient 
apostles,  can  know  these  things,  therefore  cannot  declare 
them  by  authority,  nor  teach  and  prepare  mankind  for  the 
salvation  of  God.  God  Almighty  is  the  only  source  from 
whence  this  knowledge,  power  and  authority  can  be  ob- 
tained, and  that  through  the  operations  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
The  Scriptures  may  serve  as  a  guide  to  lead  us  to  God,  and 
hence  to  the  possession  of  all  things  necessary  to  life  and 
salvation,  but  they  can  do  no  more. 

Having  profited  by  this  example,  and  done  the  works 
commanded  by  both  Christ  and  his  apostles,  ancient  and 
modern,  I  am  happy  of  the  privilege  to  declare  to  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  earth  that  I  have  received  this  testimony  and 
witness  for  myself.  I  do  know  that  these  things  are  true. 
Jesus,  my  Redeemer,  lives,  and  God  hath  made  him  both 
Lord  and  Christ.  To  know  and  to  worship  the  true  God,  in 
the  name  of  Jesus — in  spirit  and  in  truth — is  the  duty  of 
man.  To  aid  and  qualify  him  for  this  service  is  the  duty 
and  office  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Man  may  fail  through  fal- 
tering and  unfaithfulness,  but  the  Spirit  of  God  will  never 
fail,  nor  abandon  the  faithful  disciple.  I  can  say  as  one  who 
has  tried  the  experiment — for  it  may  be  called  an  experi- 
ment to  the  beginner — that  all  who  will  take  the  course  and 
accept  the  doctrine  thus  marked  out' will,  through  faithful- 
ness, become  acquainted  with  the  truth,  and  shall  know  of 
the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God  or  of  man,  and  will  re- 
joice in  it  as  all  good,  faithful  Latter-day  Saints  do. 

Here  is  an  ordinance  which  we  are  now  administering, 


FIRST  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE  GOSPEL     127 

the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper ;  it  is  a  principle  of  the 
gospel,  one  as  necessary  to  be  observed  by  all  believers,  as 
any  other  ordinance  of  the  gospel.  What  is  the  object  of  it? 
It  is  that  we  may  keep  in  mind  continually  the  Son  of  God 
who  has  redeemed  us  from  eternal  death,  and  brought  us 
to  life  again  through  the  power  of  the  gospel.  Before  the 
coming  of  Christ  to  the  earth,  this  was  borne  in  mind  by  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth  to  whom  the  gospel  was  preached, 
by  another  ordinance  which  was  a  type  of  the  great  sacrifice 
that  should  take  place  in  the  meridian  of  time.  Hence, 
Adam,  after  he  was  cast  out  of  the  garden,  was  commanded 
to  offer  sacrifices  to  God ;  by  this  act,  he  and  all  who  partici- 
pated in  the  offering  of  sacrifices,  were  reminded  of  the 
Savior  who  should  come  to  redeem  them  from  death  which, 
were  it  not  for  the  atonement  wrought  out  by  him,  would 
forever  exclude  them  from  dwelling  in  the  presence  of  God 
again.  But  in  his  coming  and  death,  this  commandment 
was  fulfilled;  and  he  instituted  the  Supper  and  commanded 
his  followers  to  partake  of  this  in  all  time  to  come,  in  order 
that  they  may  remember  him,  bearing  in  mind  that  he  had 
redeemed  them,  also  that  they  had  covenanted  to  keep  his 
commandments  and  to  walk  with  him  in  the  regeneration. 
Hence  it  is  necessary  to  partake  of  the  Sacrament,  as  a  wit- 
ness to  him  that  we  do  remember  him,  are  willing  to  keep 
the  commandments  he  has  given  us,  that  we  may  have  his 
Spirit  to  be  with  us  always — even  to  the  end,  and  also  that 
we  may  continue  in  the  forgiveness  of  sins. 

In  various  dispensations  there  are  various  differences 
in  regard  to  certain  requirements  of  the  gospel.  For  in- 
stance, in  the  day  of  Noah,  when  he  preached  the  gospel  to 
the  antediluvian  world,  he  was  given  a  special  command- 
ment to  build  an  ark,  that  in  case  the  people  would  reject 
him  and  the  message  sent  unto  them,  that  himself  and  all 
who  believed  on  him  might  be  saved  from  the  destruction 
that  awaited  them.  In  this  dispensation  there  is  a  principle 


128  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

or  commandment  peculiar  to  it.  What  is  that?  It  is  the 
gathering  the  people  unto  one  place.  The  gathering  of  this 
people  is  as  necessary  to  be  observed  by  believers,  as  faith, 
repentance,  baptism,  or  any  other  ordinance.  It  is  an  essen- 
tial part  of  the  gospel  of  this  dispensation,  as  much  so  as  the 
necessity  of  building  an  ark  by  Noah,  for  his  deliverance, 
was  a  part  of  the  gospel  of  his  dispensation.  Then  the  world 
was  destroyed  by  a  flood,  now  it  is  to  be  destroyed  by  war, 
pestilence,  famine,  earthquakes,  storms,  and  tempests,  the 
sea  rolling  beyond  its  bounds,  malarious  vapors,  vermin,  dis- 
ease, and  by  fire  and  the  lightnings  of  God's  wrath  poured 
out  for  destruction  upon  Babylon.  The  cry  of  the  angel 
unto  the  righteous  of  this  dispensation  is,  "Come  out  of  her, 
my  people,  that  ye  be  not  partakers  of  her  sins,  and  that  ye 
receive  not  of  her  plagues."  (Rev.  18:4.) 

We  believe  also  in  the  principle  of  direct  revelation  from 
God  to  man. 

This  is  a  part  of  the  gospel,  but  it  is  not  peculiar  to 
this  dispensation.  It  is  common  in  all  ages  and  dispensa- 
tions of  the  gospel.  The  gospel  cannot  be  administered,  nor 
the  Church  of  God  continue  to  exist,  without  it.  Christ  is 
the  head  of  his  Church  and  not  man,  and  the  connection  can 
only  be  maintained  upon  the  principle  of  direct  and  contin- 
uous revelation.  It  is  not  a  hereditary  principle,  it  cannot 
be  handed  down  from  father  to  son,  nor  from  generation  to 
generation,  but  is  a  living,  vital  principle  to  be  enjoyed  on 
certain  conditions  only,  namely — through  absolute  faith  in 
God  and  obedience  to  his  laws  and  commandments.  The 
moment  this  principle  is  cut  off,  that  moment  the  Church 
is  adrift,  being  severed  from  its  ever-living  head.  In  this 
condition  it  cannot  continue,  but  must  cease  to  be  the 
Church  of  God,  and  like  the  ship  at  sea,  without  captain, 
compass  or  rudder,  is  afloat  at  the  mercy  of  the  storms 
and  the  waves  of  ever  contending  human  passions,  and 
worldly  interests,  pride  and  folly,  finally  to  be  wrecked  upon 
the  strand  of  priestcraft  and  superstition.  The  religious 


FIRST  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE  GOSPEL     129 

world  is  in  this  condition  today,  ripening  for  the  great  de- 
struction which  awaits  them,  but  there  is  an  ark  prepared 
for  such  as  are  worthy  of  eternal  life,  in  the  gathering  of 
the  Saints  to  the  chambers  of  the  Almighty,  where  they 
shall  be  preserved  until  the  indignation  of  God  is  passed. 

Marriage  is  also  a  principle  or  ordinance  of  the  gospel, 
most  vital  to  the  happiness  of  mankind,  however  unimpor- 
tant it  may  seem,  or  lightly  regarded  by  many.  There  is  no 
superfluous  or  unnecessary  principle  in  the  plan  of  life, 
but  there  is  no  principle  of  greater  importance  or  more  es- 
sential to  the  happiness  of  man — not  only  here,  but  espe- 
cially hereafter,  than  that  of  marriage.  Yet  all  are  neces- 
sary. What  good  would  it  be  to  one  to  be  baptized  and 
receive  not  the  Holy  Ghost?  And  suppose  he  went  a  little 
further  and  received  the  Holy  Ghost,  thereby  obtaining  the 
testimony  of  Jesus,  and  then  stopped  at  that,  what  good 
would  it  do  him  ?  None  whatever,  but  would  -add  to  his 
condemnation,  for  it  would  be  as  burying  his  talent  in  the 
earth.  To  secure  the  fulness  of  the  blessings,  we  must 
receive  the  fulness  of  the  gospel.  Yet  men  will  be  judged 
and  rewarded  according  to  their  works.  "To  him  that 
knoweth  to  do  good  and  doeth  it  not,  to  him  it  is  sin." 
Those  who  receive  a  part  of  the  gospel  with  light  and  knowl- 
edge to  comprehend  other  principles,  and  yet  do  not  obey 
them,  will  come  under  this  law,  hence  condemnation  will 
be  added  unto  such,  and  that  which  they  did  receive  may  be 
taken  from  them  and  added  to  them  who  are  more  worthy. 

Obedience  is  a  requirement  of  heaven,  and  is  therefore 
a  principle  of  the  gospel.  Are  all  required  to  be  obedient? 
Yes,  all.  What,  against  their  will?  O,  no,  not  by  any 
means.  There  is  no  power  given  to  man,  nor  means  lawful 
to  be  used  to  compel  men  to  obey  the  will  of  God,  against 
their  wish,  except  persuasion  and  good  advice,  but  there  is 
a  penalty  attached  to  disobedience,  which  all  must  suffer 
who  will  not  obey  the  obvious  truths  or  laws  of  heaven.  I 
believe  in  the  sentiment  of  the  poet : 

10 


130  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

"Know  this,  that  every  soul  is  free 
To  choose  his  life  and  what  he'll  be ; 
For  this  eternal  truth  is  given, 
That  God  will  force  no  man  to  heaven. 

"He'll  call,  persuade,  direct  aright, 
And  bless  with  wisdom,  love  and  light, 
In  nameless  ways  be  good  and  kind, 
But  never  force  the  human  mind." 

Is  it  a  difficult  task  to  obey  the  gospel?  No.  It  is  an 
easy  matter  to  those  who  possess  the  spirit  of  it.  Most  of 
this  congregation  can  testify  that  the  gospel  "yoke  is  easy, 
and  the  burden  light."  Those  who  have  embraced  it  will  be 
judged  according  to  their  works  therein,  whether  they  be 
good  or  evil.  To  such  as  are  untrue  to  their  covenants  it 
may  be  said,  by  and  by,  "Depart  from  me!"  In  vain  will 
they  plead  their  former  good  works,  and  faith.  Why  ?  Be- 
cause the  race  is  not  to  the  swift  nor  the  battle  always  to 
the  strong,  but  to  him  that  endures  faithful  to  the  end. 
We  must  save  ourselves  from  this  untoward  generation. 
It  is  a  continual  labor,  but  the  strength  of  the  righteous  will 
be  sufficient  for  their  day.  Jesus  said,  'Tn  my  Father's  house 
are  many  mansions."  There  is  a  glory,  or  mansion,  of 
which  the  sun  is  typical,  another  of  which  the  moon  is  typ- 
ical, and  still  another  like  unto  the  stars,  and  in  this  latter 
the  condition  of  its  occupants  will  differ  as  the  stars  differ 
in  appearance.  Every  man  will  receive  according  to  his 
works  and  knowledge.  "These  are  they  who  are  of  Paul 
and  of  Apollos,  and  of  Cephas.  These  are  they  who  say 
they  are  some  of  one  and  some  of  another — some  of  Christ 
and  some  of  John,  and  some  of  Moses,  and  some  of  Elias, 
and  some  of  Esaias,  and  some  of  Isaiah,  and  some  of  Enoch ; 
but 'received  not  the  gospel,  neither  the  testimony  of  Jesus." 
(Doc.  and  Cov.  76:100-1.)  Thus,  impartial  justice  will  be 
meted  out  unto  all,  and  none  will  be  lost  but  the  sons  of  per- 
dition.— Journal  of  Discourses,  Vol.  14,  p.  266. 


CHAPTER    VIII 

The  Church  and  the  Man 

THE  CHURCH  IN  ADVANCE  OF  ITS  MEMBERS.  "The 
modern  'Mormon'  is  far  in  advance  of  'MormonismV  The 
very  reverse  of  this  statement  is  the  truth.  "Mormonism" 
is  far  in  advance  of  the  modern  or  any  other  class  of  "Mor- 
mons." For  not  one  member  of  the  Church  in  one  hundred, 
and  perhaps  not  a  single  member  in  the  whole  Church  is  able 
to  reach  the  high  standards  of  faith,  virtue,  honor  and  truth 
inculcated  in  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. — Juvenile  In- 
structor, Vol.  41,  p.  144,  March  1,  1906. 

THE  GOSPEL  THE  MOST  IMPORTANT  THING.  The  re- 
ligion which  we  have  espoused  is  not  a  Sunday  religion ;  it 
is  not  a  mere  profession ;  it  is  a  most — I  was  going  to  say — 
a  most  terrible  reality — and  I  believe  I  would  be  justified 
in  using  that  expression,  because  it  savors  of  life  unto  life 
or.  of  death  unto  death.  If  it  is,  and  pardon  me  for  using 
that  expression,  if  it  is  what  we  profess  it  to  be,  what  we 
have  embraced  it  for,  what  we  believe  it  to  be  as  members 
of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  it  is  the 
most  important  thing  in  the  world  to  us,  and  the  results  to 
us  in  this  world  and  in  the  world  to  come  will  depend  upon 
our  integrity  to  the  truth  and  our  consistency  in  observing 
its  precepts,  in  abiding  by  its  principles,  and  its  requirements. 
—Apr.  C.  R.,  1916,  p.  2. 

PERSONAL  ADVANCEMENT  .is  HELP  TO  THE  CHURCH. 
Whoever  will  labor  for  his  own  welfare,  for  his  own  salva- 
tion and  upbuilding  in  the  knowledge  of  those  principles 
which  draw  men  nearer  to  God  and  make  them  more  like 
unto  him,  fitting  them  better  for  the  performance  of  the  du- 
ties required  at  their  hands,  is  in  like  manner  building  up  the 
Church.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1914,  p.  2. 


132  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

COVENANTS  OF  THE  LATTER-DAY  SAINTS.  Among  the 
covenants  are  these,  that  they  will  cease  from  sin  and  from  all 
unrighteousness;  that  they  will  work  righteousness  in  their 
lives ;  that  they  will  abstain  from  the  use  of  intoxicants,  from 
the  use  of  strong  drinks  of  every  description,  from  the  use 
of  tobacco,  from  every  vile  thing,  and  from  extremes  in 
every  phase  of  life ;  that  they  will  not  take  the  name  of  God 
in  vain;  that  they  will  not  bear  false  witness  against  their 
neighbor;  that  they  will  seek  to  love  their  neighbors  as 
themselves;  to  carry  out  the  golden  rule  of  the  Lord,  do 
unto  others  as  they  would  that  others  should  do  unto  them. 
These  principles  are  involved  in  the  covenants  that  the  peo-' 
pie  have  made  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints,  and  it  is  expected  that  the  officers  and  presiding 
authorities  in  the  Church  shall  see  to  it  that  the  members 
of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  will 
keep  these  covenants  that  they  have  made  with  the  Lord, 
and  that  they  will  observe  these  principles  and  adapt  them 
to  their  lives  and  carry  them  out,  that  they  may  be  indeed 
the  salt  of  the  earth;  not  salt  that  has  lost  its  savor  and  is 
good  for  nothing  but  to  be  cast  out  and  trodden  under  the 
foot  of  men,  but  salt  that  has  its  savor  and  that  is  whole- 
some ;  that  the  people  of  God  may  be  a  light  unto  this  gen- 
eration and  unto  the  world;  that  men  may  see  your  good 
works  and  glorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven;  and 
that  notwithstanding  enemies,  who  are  filled  with  the  spirit 
of  persecution  and  who  say  all  manner  of  evil  things  against 
the  Latter-day  Saints,  those  who  have  entered  into  the  cove- 
nant of  the  gospel,  will  keep  the  commandments  of  the  Lord, 
will  obey  the  dictates  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  unto  them,  will 
work  righteousness  in  the  earth,  and  will  go  right  on  in  the 
path  that  Almighty  God  has  marked  out  for  them  to  pur- 
sue, fulfiling  and  accomplishing  his  will  and  his  purposes 
concerning  them  in  the  latter  day. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1904,  pp.  4,  5. 


THE  CH  URCH  AND  THE  MAN     133 

A  PRIVILEGE  TO  BE  ASSOCIATED  WITH  THE  CHURCH. 
I  esteem  it  a  great  privilege  to  be  permitted  to  live  and  be 
associated  with  my  brethren  and  sisters  in  the  great  cause  in 
which  we  are  engaged.  Personally,  I  have  nothing  but  this 
cause  to  live  for,  for  the  rest  of  my  life.  It  has  been  very 
much,  almost  entirely  the  object  of  life  with  me,  ever  since 
my  childhood;  and  I  am  very  thankful  that  I  have  had  the 
privilege  of  being  connected  with  the  missionary  work  of 
the  Church,  and  I  hope  and  trust  that  I  may  be  able  to  con- 
tinue in  this  ministry  the  remainder  of  my  days.  I  feel  in 
my  heart  that  there  is  nothing  greater  for  me,  or  for  any 
other  man  living,  than  to  be  identified  with  the  cause  of 
truth,  and  I  verily  believe  that  we  are  engaged  in  the  cause 
of  truth,  and  not  error.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1912,  p.  2. 

WORTH  OF  A  STANDING  IN  THE  CHURCH.  My  standing 
in  the  Church  is  worth  to  me  more  than  this  life — ten  thou- 
sand times.  For  in  this  I  have  life  everlasting.  In  this  I 
have  the  glorious  promise  of  the  associations  of  my  loved 
ones  throughout  all  eternity.  In  obedience  to  this  work,  in 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  I  shall  gather  around  me  my  fam- 
ily, my  children,  my  children's  children,  until  they,  become 
as  numerous  as  the  seed  of  Abraham,  or  as  countless  as  the 
sands  upon  the  sea  shore.  For  this  is  my  right  and  privilege, 
and  the  right  and  privilege  of  every  member  of  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  who  holds  the  priest- 
hood and  will  magnify  it  in  the  sight  of  God.  Without  it, 
there  is  death  and  desolation — disintegration  and  disinher- 
itance; without  it  there  may  be  a  chance  to  become  a  min- 
istering spirit,  a  servant  unto  servants  throughout  the  end- 
less ages;  but  in  this  gospel  there  is  a  chance  to  become  a 
son  of  God,  in  the  image  and  likeness  of  the  Father  and  of 
his  Only  Begotten  Son  in  the  flesh.  I  would  rather  take 
my  boys  and  my  girls  to  the  grave,  while  they  are  innocent, 
than  to  see  them  entrapped  in  the  wickedness,  the  unbelief, 


134  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

and  the  spirit  of  apostasy  so  prevalent  in  the  world,  and  be 
led  away  from  the  gospel  of  salvation. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1912,  pp. 
136,  137. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  HAVING  NAMES  ON  CHURCH  RECORDS. 
Some  people  may  not  care  very  much  whether  their  names 
are  recorded  or  not,  but  this  comes  from  ignorance  of  the 
consequences.  If  their  names  are  not  recorded  they  will 
not  only  be  cut  off  from  the  assistance  which  they  would 
be  entitled  to  from  the  Church,  if  they  needed  it,  but  they 
will  be  cut  off  from  the  ordinances  of  the  house  of  God; 
they  will  be  cut  asunder  from  their  dead  and  from  their 
fathers  who  have  been  faithful,  or  from  those  who  shall 
come  after  them  who  shall  be  faithful,  and  they  will  be  ap- 
pointed their  portion  with  the  unbelievers,  where  there  is 
weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth.  It  means  that  you  will  be 
cut  off  from  your  fathers  and  mothers,  from  your  husbands, 
your  wives,  your  children,  and  that  you  shall  have  no  por- 
tion or  lot  or  inheritance  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  both  in 
time  and  in  eternity.  It  has  a  very  serious  and  far-reaching 
effect.— Oct.  C.  R.t  1899,  p.  42. 

SECRET  ORGANIZATIONS.  The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints  is  good  enough  for  me  and  my  family, 
and  I  have  no  time  nor  means  to  associate  myself  with  organ- 
izations that  are  not  of  this  Church  and  which  have  simply 
for  their  object  the  laying  up  of  something  for  my  wife  to 
have  after  I  am  dead.  I  cannot  afford  to  do  it  for  this  rea- 
son: the  Lord  has  seen  fit  to  give  me  from  day  to  day  jusj: 
sufficient  for  my  needs,  and  if  I  were  to  join  these  associa- 
tions for  the  purpose  of  looking  after  the  future  of  my  fam- 
ily, I  would  be  compelled  to  neglect  paying  my  tithing,  and 
present  duties,  because  I  would  not  have  means  enough  to 
pay  my  tithing  and  my  dues  for  these  associations.  We  have 
known  members  of  the  Church,  who  when  they  were  asked 
why  they  did  not  pay  their  tithing,  confessed  that  they  were 
associated  with  organizations  of  one  kind  and  another, 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  MAN  135 

wherein  they  were  compelled  to  pay  weekly  or  monthly  cer- 
tain sums  of  money;  they  had  been  associated  with  these 
institutions  for  a  number  of  years,  and  had  put  quite  a  lot 
of  money  in  them ;  and  now,  if  they  did  not  continue  to  pay 
their  dues  they  would  lose  all  they  had  put  in,  then  in  case 
of  death  their  families  would  lose  the  premium.  From 
this  you  can  see  they  are  in  bondage  to  these  secret  organ- 
izations, and  if  they  want  to  pay  tithing  they  cannot  do 
it.  Well,  if  they  do  not,  they  will  be  among  those  whose 
names  will  not  be  found  recorded  in  the  book  of  the  law  of 
the  Lord  and  who  will  not  have  inheritance  in  the  Zion  of 
God.  Furthermore,  we  have  called  some  of  these  men  to  go 
on  missions,  but  they  could  not  go  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
the  nations  of  the  earth.  Why?  Because  they  belonged 
to  certain  secret  associations,  and  they  were  compelled  to 
be  at  work  all  the  time  in  order  to  pay  their  dues,  or  they 
would  lose  what  they  had  put  in  them. — Oct.  C.  R.}  1899, 
p.  40. 

SECRET  SOCIETIES.  It  is  a  well  known  truth  that  the 
counsel  of  the  First  Presidency  of  the  Church,  in  all  cases, 
has  been  and  is  against  our  brethren  joining  secret  organ- 
izations for  any  purpose  whatsoever,  and  that  wherever  any 
of  them  have  already  joined,  they  have  been  and  are  coun- 
seled to  withdraw  themselves  from  such  organizations,  as 
soon  as  circumstances  permit  and  wisdom  dictates.  In  tak- 
ing this  position,  there  has  not  been,  neither  is  it  intended 
that  there  shall  be,  any  controversy  with  the  societies,  and 
with  their  aims  and  objects.  The  merits  of  the  various  or- 
ders are  not  considered  at  all ;  their  aims  may  be  ever  so 
worthy  and  their  objects  ever  so  commendable.  That  mat- 
ter does  not  enter  into  the  discussion,  so  far  as  a  member  of 
our  Church  is  concerned. 

The  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  true,  and  is  a  power  unto 
salvation,  temporal  and  spiritual.  A  man  who  complies  in 
every  respect  therewith  has  everything  that  any  society  can 


136  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

offer,  with  countless  truths  and  consolations  added:  "But 
seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  his  righteousness ; 
and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you."  The  Church 
is  divinely  organized,  and  in  that  organization  there  is  pro- 
vision for  the  development  and  practice  of  every  virtue 
known,  every  charity  revealed.  For  this  reason  and  for 
its  promises  of  eternal  life  and  glory,  the  gospel,  and  the 
Church  divinely  established  for  its  promulgation,  should  be 
nearer  and  dearer  to  a  follower  of  Christ  than  all  other 
things.  "No  man  can  serve  two  masters ;  for  either  he  will 
hate  the  one,  and  love  the  other ;  or  else  he  will  hold  to  the 
one  and  despise  the  other.  Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  Mam- 
mon." 

The  members  of  our  Church  who  have  faith  to  heed 
the  advice  of  the  authorities  thereof,  will  not  ally  them- 
selves, under  any  pretense,  with  any  organization  not  insti- 
tuted by  the  Lord  for  the  building  up  of  Zion.  Neither  will 
they,  for  any  consideration,  allow  themselves  to  imbibe  the 
spirit  of  the  world,  or  be  tempted  to  lose  their  faith,  which 
will  be  the  result  with  those  who  divide  their  interests,  de- 
voting some  to  other  organizations.  This  is  the  testimony 
of  those  who  have  joined  and  who  have  later  withdrawn. 
Nothing  can  be  permitted  in  the  members  that  is  calculated 
to  bring  division  and  weakness  to  the  Church,  yet  those  who 
have  been  led  to  join  other  institutions  should  not  be  dealt 
with  harshly,  but  should  be  made  to  understand  the  position 
of  the  Church,  and  where  it  is  so  understood,  they  should 
shape  their  affairs  for  withdrawal,  in  humility  and  repent- 
ance, from  that  which  threatens  their  standing. — Improve- 
ment Era,  Vol.  6,  p.  305,  February,  1903. 

GOSSIP.  The  "Mormon"  creed :  "Mind  your  own  busi- 
ness," is  a  good  motto  for  young  people  to  adopt  who  wish 
to  succeed,  and  who  wish  to  make  the  best  use  of  their  time 
and  lives.  And  when  I  say  young  people,  it  includes  as  well 
aged  and  middle  aged  men  and  women. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  MAN  137 

Let  it  be  remembered  that  nothing  is  quite  so  contempt- 
ible as  idle  gossip.  Byron  said  a  good  thing  when  he  put 
into  the  mouth  of  Don  Juan  these  words : 

"In  fact  there's  nothing  makes  me  so  much  grieve 
As  that  abominable  tittle-tattle, 
Which  is  the  cud  eschewed  by  human  cattle." 

How  idle  to  go  about  whispering  mysterious  words  here 
and  there — words  often  without  foundation  in  fact,  but  ut- 
tered with  injurious  intent,  and  perhaps  with  the  idea  of 
creating  for  the  whisperer  some  imaginary  respect,  because 
of  his  supposed  possession  of  special  knowledge !  But  such 
action  seldom  bodes  good,  or  sets  upon  the  round  of  human 
lips  sentiments  of  appreciation  for  the  excellent,  the  beauti- 
ful, and  the  true,  in  a  brother,  neighbor,  or  friend.  Such 
gossip  and  meddling  constantly  hold  to  view  the  defects  of 
its  subjects,  and  the  scandals  that  are  born  fly  as  upon  the 
wings  of  eagles.  To  be  thus  engaged  is  a  positive  injury, 
also,  to  the  person  so  employed,  because  by  constantly  hold- 
ing the  defects  of  others  in  his  own  mind,  he  ruins  his  own 
ability  to  see  and  appreciate  the  virtues  of  his  fellows,  thus 
stifling  his  nobler  self. 

It  is  so  very  much  better  for  a  person  to  strive  to  de- 
velop himself  by  observing  all  the  good  points  he  can  find 
in  others,  than  to  strangle  the  growth  of  his  better  self  by 
cherishing  a  fault-finding,  sullen  and  intermeddling  spirit. 
The  scriptures  support  this  thought.  The  great  Psalmist 
says  in  substance  in  the  fifteenth  psalm:  "He  that  back- 
biteth  not  with  his  tongue,  nor  doeth  evil  to  his  neighbor, 
nor  taketh  up  a  reproach  against  his  neighbor,  shall  abide 
in  the  tabernacle  of  the  Lord,  and  never  be  moved."  To 
abide  in  the  tabernacle  of  the  Lord  is  to  enjoy  his  Holy 
Spirit.  Now,  he  that  taketh  up  a  reproach  against  his 
neighbor  is  in  great  danger  of  losing  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord. 


138  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

"But  my  neighbor  has  done  this,  that,  or  the  other  that  is 
forbidden  by  the  law  or  the  Church,  or  good  usage,  why 
should  I  not  set  him  right?"  says  one.  Let  that  one  ask 
himself:  "Is  it  my  business?"  The  answer  will  suggest  it- 
self :  If  it  is  not  my  business,  let  me  be  wise  enough  to  mind 
my  own  business.  For  "he  that  refraineth  his  lips  is  wise, 
and  he  that  uttereth  a  slander  is  a  fool;"  and,  further,  the 
Lord  declares  through  the  Psalmist :  "Whoso  privily  slan- 
dereth  his  neighbor,  him  will  I  cut  off." 

Let  it  be  the  aim  of  the  Saints  to  cultivate  the  spirit  of 
generosity  and  good-will,  such  as  was  exemplified  in  the  life 
of  Christ,  and  proclaimed  when  the  angels  heralded  abroad 
the  message:  "Peace  on  earth,  to  men  good  will,"  and 
which  has  been  reiterated  in  the  modern  restoration  of  the 
gospel.  Watch  constantly  for  that  which  is  worthy  and  no- 
ble in  your  fellow  man.  It  makes  a  person  better  to  see 
and  speak  of  good  in  his  neighbor ;  while  there  is  unbounded 
delight  in  observing  the  effect  that  a  few  words  of  apprecia- 
tion and  encouragement  have  upon  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren with  whom  we  associate.  Let  those  try  it  who  really 
wish  to  get  the  genuine  sweets  out  of  life. 

The  meddler,  the  gossip,  the  fault-finder,  on  the  other 
hand,  soon  ruin  their  own  capacity  for  observing  the  better 
side  of  human  nature ;  and,  not  finding  it  in  others,  search 
in  vain  for  its  influence  in  their  own  souls. 

There  is  a  wonderful  field  in  the  organizations  of  the 
Church  for  the  cultivation  of  all  the  virtues  of  the  human 
heart.  It  is  the  business  of  every  officer  and  member  of  the 
Church,  and  of  her  associations  and  organizations,  to  lead 
out  in  doing  good;  to  stand  first  in  serviceable  practices  in 
the  gospel's  atmosphere  of  sunshine  and  peace ;  to  lift  up 
and  not  to  cast  down;  to  encourage  and  not  to  repress;  to 
dispense  joy,  and  to  drown  sorrow;  to  refrain  their  lips 
from  slander  and  backbiting,  and,  by  sweet  temper  and  kind 
words,  to  unfold  the  better  side  of  human  nature;  to  mind 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  MAN  139 

their  own  business,  and  not  to  unduly  criticise,  and  not  to 
find  fault,  nor  to  delight  in  tale-bearing,  scandal,  envy,  and 
gossip. 

This  advice  heeded,  onr  social  ethics  would  soon  show 
wonderful  improvement;  happiness,  beauty  of  disposition, 
love,  and  moral  cleanliness,  would  increase  among  the 
Saints;  the  Spirit  of  God  would  delight  to  dwell  in  their 
midst,  and  the  best  qualities  of  the  people  would  unfold  and 
develop  like  the  rose  in  the  warm  sunshine  of  June. — 
Improvement  Era,  Vol.  6,  p.  388,  March,  1903. 

WE  WANT  TO  BE  KNOWN  AS  WE  ARE.  We  want  to  be 
known  as  we  are.  We  want  to  be  seen  in  our  true  light. 
We  want  the  world  to  become  acquainted  with  us.  We  want 
them  to  learn  our  doctrine,  to  understand  our  faith,  our  pur- 
poses, and  the  organization  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints.  We  would  like  them  to  know  something 
about  the  origin  of  this  work,  but  we  desire  that  they  shall 
see  this  work  in  the  true  spirit  of  it,  and  the  only  way  this 
can  be  brought  about  is  by  the  inquiring,  intelligent  world 
coming  in  contact  with  us — those  indeed  who  are  disposed 
to  love  truth  and  righteousness,  and  whose  eyes  are  not  so 
blinded  that  they  can  not  see  the  truth  when  it  is  presented 
before  them.— Oct.  C.  R.f  1908,  p.  3. 

TREATMENT  OF  THOSE  WHO  WILL  NOT  OBEY  THE  LAW 
OF  THE  CHURCH.  It  has  occurred  to  me  somewhat  in  this 
way:  that  the  body  of  the  Church  is  likened  to  the  body  of 
a  man,  and  you  know  men  do  sometimes  get  their  systems 
a  little  deranged — that  is  to  say,  sometimes  they  are  flea- 
bitten.  Fleas  bite  them  and  mosquitoes  bite  them  and  cause 
little  swellings  to  rise  on  their  face  and  hands.  Some- 
times they  have  boils  upon  them,  and  carbuncles,  sebaceous 
tumors  and  other  excresences,  that  only  need  the  application 
of  the  lance  to  let  out  the  humor  from  them  or  to  excise 
them  from  the  body,  or  cut  them  off  and  let  them  go,  so 
that  the  body  may  be  cleansed  from  their  poisonous  effect. 


140  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

It  is  so  with  the  Church.  From  time  to  time  there  are  char- 
acters who  become  a  law  unto  themselves,  and  they  follow 
the  bent  of  their  own  "sweet  will"  until  they  get  themselves 
into  a  condition  mentally  and  spiritually  that  they  become  a 
menace  to  the  body  ecclesiastic.  In  other  words,  they  be- 
come like  a  boil,  tumor  or  carbuncle  on  the  body,  you  have 
to  call  in  the  surgeon  to  apply  the  knife  to  cut  them  out 
that  the  body  may  be  cleansed  from  them;  and  this  has 
been  the  case  from  the  beginning. — Apr.  C.  R.}  1905,  p.  5. 

LATTER-DAY  SAINTS  MUST  BE  THINKERS  AND  WORKERS. 
To  be  Latter-day  Saints  men  and  women  must  be  thinkers 
and  workers ;  they  must  be  men  and  women  who  weigh 
matters  in  their  minds ;  men  and  women  who  consider  care- 
fully their  course  of  life  and  the  principles  that  they  have 
espoused.  Men  cannot  be  faithful  Latter-day  Saints  unless 
they  study  and  understand,  to  some  extent  at  least,  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  gospel  that  they  have  received.  When  you  hear 
people,  who  profess  to  be  Latter-day  Saints,  running  off  on 
tangents,  on  foolish  notions  and  one-horse,  cranky  ideas, 
things  that  are  obviously  opposed  to  reason  and  to  good 
sense,  opposed  to  principles  of  righteousness  and  to  the  word 
of  the  Lord  that  has  been  revealed  to  men,  you  should 
know  at  once  that  they  have  not  studied  the  principles  of 
the  gospel,  and  do  not  know  very  much  about  the  gospel. 
When  people  understand  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  you 
will  see  them  walking  straightforward,  according  to  the 
word  of  the  Lord  and  the  law  of  God,  strictly  in  accordance 
with  that  which  is  consistent,  just,  righteous,  and  in  every 
sense  acceptable  to  the  Lord  who  only  accepts  of  that  which 
is  right  and  pleasing  in  his  sight ;  for  only  that  which  is  right 
is  pleasing  unto  him. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  14,  1910,  p.  72. 

THE  IDENTITY  OF  THE  CHURCH  UNCHANGED.  We  have 
a  double  guide  and  a  double  assurance  in  reaching  our  cor- 
rect conclusions  concerning  the  perfect  identity  of  the 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  MAN  141 

Church  now  and  the  Church  in  the  days  of  its  first  prophet. 
The  spirit  of  loyalty  and  devotion,  together  with  love  for  the 
work  of  building  up  Zion,  characterize  the  Saints,  while  the 
devil  rages  now  in  the  same  manner  that  he  did  then.  The 
spirit,  on  both  sides  of  the  controversy,  is  so  identical  that  it 
is  hard  to  imagine  that  any  thoughtful  Latter-day  Saint  can 
be  deceived  over  the  situation  as  it  exists  today. 

By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them.  The  devil  caused 
men  to  rage  over  the  Nauvoo  House,  the  building  of  the 
Nauvoo  Temple,  the  Prophet's  Nauvoo  brick  store,  and  the 
material  prosperity  of  the  Saints  in  that  beautiful  city  on 
the  banks  of  the  Mississippi;  he  causes  men  to  rave  over 
so-called  "commercialism"  today.  Envy  was  rampant  then. 
It  is  just  as  deadly  now. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  40,  p. 
497,  August  15,  1905, 

No  CLASSES  OR  NATIONALITIES  IN  THE  CHURCH.  The 
brotherhood  and  common  interests  in  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  are  among  the  great  character- 
istics of  our  faith,  and  whatever,  therefore,  tends  to  estab- 
lish class  distinctions  either  in  society  or  nationalities  should 
be  discouraged  in  every  way  possible.  God  is  no  respecter 
of  persons,  neither  does  he  glorify  one  class  to  the  disadvan- 
tage of  another. 

A  striking  peculiarity  of  the  Saints  gathered  from  all 
parts  of  the  earth  is  that  they  are  almost  universally  of  the 
blood  of  Ephraim.  If  they  have  received  the  Holy  Ghost 
they  are  of  one  spirit,  so  that  whatever  creates  a  discord  in 
the  spirit  and  unity  of  the  Saints  is  of  evil  origin.  The 
Spirit  of  God  never  begets  strife,  nor  does  it  set  up  and 
insist  on  distinctions  among  those  who  have  been  its  recip- 
ients. 

There  has  been  in  some  people's  minds  the  thought  that 
this  or  that  nationality  was  entitled  to  certain  recognition 
because  of  its  large  numbers  or  prominence  in  certain  re- 
spects. The  affairs  of  the  Church  are  not  carried  on  with 


142  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

respect  to  what  is  good  or  bad  policy — there  is  no  policy  in 
the  Church,  but  that  of  wisdom  and  truth,  and  everyone 
of  its  members  should  thoroughly  understand  that  distinc- 
tions both  in  classes  and  nationalities  are  odious  and  out  of 
harmony  with  the  discipline  and  spirit  of  Church  govern- 
ment. If  a  man  of  one  or  another  nationality  is  honored 
by  any  important  call,  it  is  because  of  the  spirit  in  the  man, 
and  not  because  of  his  nationality,  and  the  Saints  may  be 
certain  that  when  any  man  makes  a  demand  for  recognition 
it  is  an  assumption  on  his  part,  and  is  not  in  harmony  with 
the  life  and  spirit  of  our  Master. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol. 
37,  p.  658,  November  1,  1902. 

No  NEUTRALS  IN  THE  CHURCH.  In  Christ's  Church  we 
cannot  be  neutral  or  inert.  We  must  either  progress  or  retro- 
grade. It  is  necessary  for  the  Latter-day  Saints  to  keep 
pushing  on  in  order  that  they  may  keep  their  faith  alive 
and  their  spirits  quickened  to  the  performance  of  their  du- 
ties. Let  us  remember  that  we  are  engaged  in  God's  work 
— and  when  I  say  God's  work,  I  mean  that  we  are  engaged 
in  the  work  which  the  Almighty  has  instituted  in  the  earth 
for  our  salvation  individually.  Every  man  should  be  labor- 
ing for  his  own  good  and  as  far  as  possible  for  the  good  of 
others.  There  is  no  such  thing  in  the  science  of  life  as  a 
man  laboring  exclusively  for  himself.  We  are  not  intended 
to  be  alone  in  time  nor  in  eternity.  Each  individual  is  a 
unit  in  the  household  of  faith,  and  each  unit  must  feel  his 
or  her  proportion  of  the  responsibility  that  devolves  upon  the 
whole.  Each  individual  must  be  diligent  in  performing  his 
duty.  By  doing  this,  and  keeping  himself  pure  and  un- 
spotted from  the  world,  he  assists  others  to  keep  them- 
selves pure  and  unspotted.  For  instance,  a  man  who  is  faith- 
ful in  observing  the  Sabbath  day  and  in  attending  to  the 
duties  of  that  day  will  at  least  set  an  example  unto  all  with 
whom  he  is  associated.  The  man  who  is  prayerful  before  the 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  MAN  143 

Lord  will  set  an  example  before  all  others  who  see  and  know 
his  conduct.  The  man  who  is  honest  in  dealing  with  his 
neighbor  will  set  an  example  for  good.  Those  who  do  this 
are  genuine  representatives  of  Zion ;  they  are  the  children  of 
God  indeed  and  of  a  truth,  and  there  rests  with  them  the 
spirit  of  light  and  the  love  of  God.  They  are  in  a  saved 
condition,  and  will  continue  to  be  in  a  saved  condition  so 
long  as  they  continue  to  observe  the  principles  of  the  gospel. 
It  is  useless  for  us  to  mourn  over  the  evils  that  we  ourselves 
have  caused,  unless  by  repentance  we  may  make  restitution 
for  the  evils  we  have  done.  It  is  a  terrible  thing  for  men 
and  women  to  allow  themselves  to  go  so  far  in  the  neglect 
of  duty  that  evils  will  result  from  their  misconduct  which 
they  will  be  powerless  thereafter  to  eradicate  or  to  make 
restitution  for. — Sermon,  Sunday,  June  12,  1898. 

DON'T  HAVE  RELIGIOUS  HOBBIES.  Brethren  and  sisters, 
don't  have  hobbies.  Hobbies  are  dangerous  in  the  Church  of 
Christ.  They  are  dangerous  because  they  give  undue  prom- 
inence to  certain  principles  or  ideas  to  the  detriment  and 
dwarfing  of  others  just  as  important,  just  as  binding,  just 
as  saving  as  the  favored  doctrines  or  commandments. 

Hobbies  give  to  those  who  encourage  them  a  false 
aspect  of  the  gospel  of  the  Redeemer ;  they  distort  and 
place  out  of  harmony  its  principles  and  teachings.  The 
point  of  view  is  unnatural.  Every  principle  and  practice 
revealed  from  God  is  essential  to  man's  salvation  and  to 
place  any  one  of  them  unduly  in  the  front,  hiding  and  dim- 
ming all  others  is  unwise  and  dangerous;  it  jeopardizes 
our  salvation,  for  it  darkens  our  minds  and  beclouds  our 
understandings.  Such  a  view,  no  matter  to  what  point  di- 
rected, narrows  the  vision,  weakens  the  spiritual  perception, 
and  darkens  the  mind,  the  result  of  which  is  that  the  person 
thus  afflicted  with  this  perversity  and  contraction  of  mental 
vision  places  himself  in  a  position  to  be  tempted  of  the  evil 


144  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

one,  or  through  dimness  of  sight  or  distortion  of  vision,  to 
misjudge  his  brethren  and  give  way  to  the  spirit  of  apos- 
tasy. He  is  not  square  before  the  Lord. 

We  have  noticed  this  difficulty:  that  Saints  with  hob- 
bies are  prone  to  judge  and  condemn  their  brethren  and 
sisters  who  are  not  as  zealous  in  the  one  particular  direction 
of  their  pet  theory  as  they  are.  The  man  with  the  Word 
of  Wisdom  only  on  his  brain,  is  apt  to  find  unmeasured  fault 
with  every  other  member  of  the  Church  who  entertains  lib- 
eral ideas  as  to  the  importance  of  other  doctrines  of  the 
gospel. 

There  is  another  phase  of  this  difficulty — the  man  with 
a  hobby  is  apt  to  assume  an  '"I  am  holier  than  thou"  posi- 
tion, to  feel  puffed  up  and  conceited,  and  to  look  with  dis- 
trust, if  with  no  severer  feeling,  on  his  brethren  and  sisters 
who  do  not  so  perfectly  live  that  one  particular  law.  This 
feeling  hurts  his  fellow-servants  and  offends  the  Lord. 
"Pride  goeth  before  destruction,  and  an  haughty  spirit 
before  a  fall."  (Prov.  16:18.) 

There  are  some  great  truths  in  the  plan  of  redemption 
that  are  fundamental.  They  cannot  be  ignored;  none  oth- 
ers can  be  placed  before  them.  The  fatherhood  of  God,  the 
efficacy  of  the  atonement  of  our  Lord  and  Savior,  the  res- 
toration of  the  gospel  in  these  latter  days,  must  be  accepted 
with  our  whole  hearts.  We  cannot  compensate  for  a  lack 
of  faith  in  these  essential  doctrines  by  the  most  absolute 
abstinence  from  things  unhealthful,  by  the  rigid  payment 
of  tithing  on  our  "anise  and  cummin/"  or  by  the  observ- 
ance of  any  other  outward  ordinance.  Baptism  itself  with- 
out faith  in  God  avails  nothing. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol. 
37,  pp.  176-177,  March,  1902. 

WEALTH  DOES  NOT  BRING  CHURCH  FAVORS.  The  idea 
should  never  gain  ground  that  the  rich  man  in  the  Church 
is  entitled  to  any  more  consideration  than  the  humblest 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  MAN  145 

member.  Men  of  superior  virtues  and  powers,  whether 
those  virtues  and  powers  be  represented  in  the  ability  to 
gain  wealth,  to  acquire  education,  or  to  display  genius  and 
wisdom,  will  always  occupy  a  commanding  place  in  the  so- 
cial, the  business,  and  the  religious  world. 

It  is  one  thing,  however,  to  respect  wealth  and  its 
powers,  and  quite  another  to  become  mere  sycophants  to  it. 
Neither  the  Church,  nor  its  blessings  nor  favors,  have  ever 
been,  from  its  organization,  submissive  to  or  purchasable 
by  the  mammon  of  this  world.  No  man  need  to  hope  that  he 
can  buy  the  gifts  of  God.  Those  who  attempt  to  buy  the 
treasures  of  heaven  will  perish,  and  their  wealth  will  perish 
with  them.  Wealth  may  wield  an  undue  influence  and  gain 
prestige  in  society,  even  though  its  possessor  may  be  greatly 
wanting  in  moral  worthiness.  And  being  a  power  in  itself, 
may  be  a  danger  through  the  opportunities  for  corruption 
and  seduction.  Those,  therefore,  who  have  listened  to  the 
fallacious  arguments  of  the  advantages  of  wealth  and  its 
power,  independent  of  virtue,  have  in  store  for  them  a  great 
disappointment  if  they  act  upon  any  such  false  theories. 

The  trouble  is,  that  young  men  are  very  apt  to  mistake 
a  friendly  and  cordial  greeting  to  those  in  possession  of 
wealth  for  a  genuine  friendship  and  sincere  confidence.  The 
unworthy  rich  should  be  as  much  the  object  of  our  pity  as 
the  unworthy  poor.  Those  who  imagine  that  wealth  may  be 
substituted  for  virtue  are  certainly  doomed  to  disappoint- 
ment; and  yet  men  sometimes  foolishly  and  enviously 
suggest  that  the  highest  social  recommendation  and  religious 
standing  as  well  as  the  sincere  friendship  of  the  pure  in  heart 
are  subject  to  the  command  of  the  mammon  of  unrighteous- 
ness. 

The  money  offered  by  Simon  the  sorcerer  to  the  apos- 
tles for  the  gifts  they  possessed  were  spurned  by  them,  and 
a  curse  pronounced  both  upon  him  and  his  wealth.  (See 


146  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

Acts  8:14-23.)— Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  40,  pp.  593,  594, 
October  1,  1905. 

THE  GOSPEL  CAUSES  DISTURBANCE.  In  truth  the  gos- 
pel is  carrying  us  against  the  stream  of  passing  humanity. 
We  get  in  the  way  of  purely  human  affairs  and  disturb  the 
current  of  life  in  many  ways  and  in  many  places.  People 
who  are  comfortably  located  and  well  provided  for,  do  not 
like  to  be  disturbed.  It  angers  them,  and  they  would  settle 
things  once  for  all  in  the  most  drastic  manner.  The  effects 
of  certain  causes  are  so  unlike  anything  we  have  ever  known 
that  we  are  not  safe  in  making  philosophy  our  guide ;  much 
less  are  wre  safe  in  making  those  our  guide  who  have  some 
sort  of  selfish  philosophy  which  they  are  anxious  that  others 
should  follow.  Those  who  defend  us  do  so  not  infrequently 
with  an  apologetic  air.  The  Saints  are  never  safe  in  follow- 
ing the  protests  and  counsels  of  those  who  would  have  us 
ever  and  always  in  harmony  with  the  world.  We  have  our 
particular  mission  to  perform ;  and  that  we  may  perform  it  in 
consonance  with  divine  purposes,  we  are  running  counter 
to  the  ways  of  man.  We  are  made  unpopular.  The  contempt 
of  the  world  is  on  us,  and  we  are  the  unloved  child  among 
the  peoples  of  the  earth. 

"HAVING  DONE  ALL,  STAND."  There  are  people  who 
are  courageous  in  doing  all  they  can  to  bring  about  certain 
results.  They  will  combat  evils  and  resist  the  wrongs  that 
are  inflicted  upon  them  and  upon  others ;  but  when  they 
have  been  defeated,  when  they  see  a  just  cause  suffer,  and 
evilly  disposed  men  triumphant,  they  give  up.  W'hat  is  the 
use?  That  is  the  question  uppermost  in  their  minds.  They 
see  wicked  men  apparently  successful.  They  see  men  of  evil 
repute  honored  by  their  fellow  men  until  they  are  almost 
persuaded  that  fate  has  her  rewards  for  wrong  doing.  With 
them,  what  appears  to  be  a  lost  cause  inspires  no  hope.  It  is 
lost,  they  say,  and  we  shall  have  to  make  the  best  of  it,  and 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  MAN  147 

let  it  go.  They  are  at  heart  discouraged.  Some  almost  ques- 
tion the  purposes  of  Providence.  They  have  the  courage  of 
men  who  are  brave  at  heart,  but  they  have  not  the  courage 
of  faith. 

How  different  it  was  with  Paul !  He  had  labored  fear- 
lessly, he  had  delivered  a  divine  message,  he  had  resisted  the 
enemy,  and  they  apparently  triumphed  over  him.  He  v/as 
taken  prisoner  and  subjected  to  humiliating  treatment  by  the 
administrators  of  the  law.  He  was  in  bonds,  and  death 
awaited  him,  but  he  was  still  courageous.  His  was  the  cour- 
age of  faith.  Read  these  stirring  words  of  his  sent  to  the 
Ephesians,  recorded  in  Ephesians  6:13,  sent  when  most  men 
would  have  thought  their  cause  lost:  " Wherefore  take  un- 
to you  the  whole  armor  of  God,  that  ye  may  be  able  to  with- 
stand in  the  evil  day,  and  having  done  all,  to  stand." 

After  we  have  done  all  we  could  do  for  the  cause  of 
truth,  and  withstood  the  evil  that  men  have  brought  upon  us, 
and  we  have  been  overwhelmed  by  their  wrongs,  it  is  still 
our  duty  to  stand.  We  cannot  give  up ;  we  must  not  lie 
down.  Great  causes  are  not  won  in  a  single  generation.  To 
stand  firm  in  the  face  of  overwhelming  opposition,  when  you 
have  done  all  you  can,  is  the  courage  of  faith.  The  courage 
of  faith  is  the  courage  of  progress.  Men  who  possess  that 
divine  quality  go  on ;  they  are  not  permitted  to  stand  still 
if  they  would.  They  are  not  simply  the  creatures  of  their 
own  power  and  wisdom;  they  are  instrumentalities  of  a 
higher  law  and  a  divine  purpose. 

Others  would  quit,  they  would  avoid  trouble.  When  it 
comes,  it  is  to  them  most  unfortunate.  It  is  really  too  bad. 
In  their  minds  it  might  have  been  avoided.  They  want  to 
square  themselves  with  the  world.  The  decree  of  the  world 
has  gone  forth,  why  withstand  it?  "We  have  withstood 
evil,"  they  say,  "and  it  has  overwhelmed  us.  Why  stand 
longer?"  Such  men  read  history,  if  at  all,  only  as  they 
make  it;  they  cannot  see  the  hand  of  God  in  the  affairs  of 


148  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

men,  because  they  see  only  with  the  eye  of  man  and  not 
with  the  eye  of  faith.  All  resistance  is  gone  out  of  them — 
they  have  left  God  out  of  the  question.  They  have  not  put 
on  his  whole  armor.  Without  it  they  are  loaded  down  with 
fear  and  apprehension,  and  they  sink.  To  such  men  every- 
thing that  brings  trouble  seems  unnecessary.  As  Saints 
of  God,  it  is  our  duty  "to  stand,"  even  when  we  are  over- 
whelmed by  evil. 

"And  I  give  unto  you  a  commandment,  that  ye  shall 
forsake  all  evil  and  cleave  unto  all  good,  that  ye  shall  live 
by  every  word  which  proceedeth  forth  out  of  the  mouth  of 
God; 

"For  he  will  give  unto  the  faithful,  line  upon  line,  pre- 
cept upon  precept;  and  I  will  try  you  and  prove  you  here- 
with; 

"And  whoso  layeth  down  his  life  in  my  cause,  for  my 
name's  sake,  shall  find  it  again,  even  life  eternal ; 

"Therefore  be  not  afraid  of  your  enemies,  for  I  have 
decreed  in  my  heart,  saith  the  Lord,  that  I  will  prove  you 
in  all  things,  whether  you  will  abide  in  my  covenant, 
even  unto  death,  that  you  may  be  found  worthy ; 

"For  if  ye  will  not  abide  in  my  covenant,  ye  are  not 
worthy  of  me"  (Doc.  and  Cov.  98:11-15). — Juvenile  In- 
structor, Aug.  15,  1904,  Vol.  39,  p.  496,  497. 

NOT  NATURALLY  RELIGIOUS.  Some  people  persist  in 
saying  on  occasion  that  they  are  not  naturally  religious.  Do 
they  mean  by  this  that  attending  meetings,  taking  part  in 
ward  worship,  teaching  and  preaching,  are  not  congenial  to 
them  ?  Or,  do  they  mean  more  ?  Perhaps  the  moral  re- 
strictions governing  an  active  worker  in  the  Church  are 
not  congenial  to  them.  They  reason  that  it  is  better  to 
make  no  pretensions  than  to  make  more  than  one  can  live 
up  to ;  and  so  they  excuse  themselves  by  declaring  they  are 
naturally  not  religious. 

But  religion  is  not  outward  show  and  pretense,  and 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  MAN  149 

being  religious  does  not  altogether  consist  in  compliance 
with  outward  forms,  even  when  these  are  the  ordinances 
of  the  gospel.  Neither  is  it  an  unfailing  sign  that  a  person 
is  conscientious  who  takes  an  active  part  in  organizations  of 
the  Church.  Evil  men  may  use  these  for  selfish  and  wicked 
purposes.  I  have  known  men  who  joined  our  organizations 
for  such  ends,  and  men  who  have  been  baptized  who  never 
repented. 

Then  what  is  religion  ?  James  declares :  "Pure  religion 
and  undefiled  before  God  and  the  Father  is  this :  To  visit 
the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affliction,  and  to  keep 
himself  unspotted  from  the  world."  This  may  be  inter- 
preted as  meaning  that  a  person  who  is  religious  is  thought- 
fur  to  the  unfortunate,  and  has  an  inner  spirit  that  prompts 
to  deeds  of  kindness  and  to  the  leading  of  a  blameless  life ; 
who  is  just,  truthful ;  who  does  not,  as  Paul  says,  think  more 
highly  of  himself  than  he  ought  to  think ;  who  is  affectionate, 
patient  in  tribulation,  diligent,  cheerful,  fervent  in  spirit, 
hospitable,  merciful;  and  who  abhors  evil  and  cleaves  to 
that  which  is  good.  The  possession  of  such  a  spirit  and  feel- 
ing is  a  true  sign  that  a  person  is  naturally  religious. 

The  Church's  outward  ordinances  and  requirements  are 
but  necessary — yet  they  are  necessary — aids  to  the  inner 
spiritual  life.  The  Church  itself,  the  organization,  meetings, 
ordinances,  requirements,  are  only  helps,  but  very  neces- 
sary helps,  to  the  practice  of  true  religion — school-masters 
to  direct  us  in  the  way  of  eternal  light  and  truth. 

Young  man,  do  not  say  that  you  are  not  naturally  re- 
ligious, and  so  make  that  an  excuse  for  evil  deeds  and  for- 
bidden acts,  and  for  not  identifying  yourselves  with  the  or- 
ganizations of  the  Church,  and  by  such  course  perhaps 
smothering  the  Spirit  of  God  within  you,  possessed  as  a 
birthright,  or  received  through  the  servants  of  the  Lord  by 
the  imposition  of  hands.  Be  rather  religious  both  in  appear- 
ance and  in  reality,  remembering  what  true  religion  means. 


150  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

Even  as  the  testimony  of  Jesus  is  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  so  is 
the  possession  of  the  knowledge  that  you  love  purity,  right- 
eousness, honesty,  justice  and  well-doing,  an  indisputable  evi- 
dence that  you  are  naturally  religious.  Search  your  hearts, 
and  you  will  find  deep  down  that  you  possess  this  knowl- 
edge. Then  encourage  its  growth  and  development  to  the 
gaining  of  your  own  salvation.  The  Church  and  its  quo- 
rums and  organizations  will  help  you,  and  the  living,  loving 
God  will  add  his  bounteous  blessings. — Improvement  Era, 
1905-6,  Vol.  9,  pp.  493-495. 

STRIVE  TO  BE  AS  BROAD  AS  THE  GOSPEL.  The  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  properly  taught  and  understood,  inculcates 
broadness,  force,  and  power.  It  makes  intellectually  broad 
and  valiant  men.  It  gives  to  men  good,  sound  judgment  in 
affairs  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual.  These  are  reasons  why 
it  is  worth  a  young  man's  while  to  embrace  it.  Outside  of 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  taught  by  the  Latter-day 
Saints,  and  sometimes  within  the  fold,  we  frequently  look 
about  us  and  see  people  who  incline  to  extremes,  who  are 
fanatical.  We  may  be  sure  that  this  class  of  people  do  not 
understand  the  gospel.  They  have  forgotten,  if  they  ever 
knew,  that  it  is  very  unwise  to  take  a  fragment  of  truth  and 
treat  it  as  if  it  were  the  whole  thing. 

While  the  first  principles  of  the  gospel,  faith  in  God, 
repentance,  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  the  lay- 
ing on  of  hands  for  the  reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the 
healing  of  the  sick,  the  resurrection,  and,  for  that  matter, 
all  the  revealed  principles  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  are  neces- 
sary and  essential  in  the  plan  of  salvation,  it.  is  neither  good 
policy  nor  sound  doctrine  to  take  any  one  of  these,  single 
it  out  from  the  whole  plan  of  gospel  truth,  make  it  a  special 
hobby,  and  depend  upon  it  for  our  salvation  and  progress, 
either  in  this  world  or  in  the  world  to  come.  They  are  all 
necessary. 

It  should  be  the  desire  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  to  be- 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  MAN  151 

come  as  big  and  broad  as  the  gospel  which  has  been  di- 
vinely revealed  to  them.  They  should,  therefore,  hold  them- 
selves open  to  the  acceptance  of  all  the  truths  of  the  gospel 
that  have  been  revealed,  that  are  now  being  revealed,  and 
that  will  be  revealed  hereafter,  and  adopt  them  in  the  con- 
duct of  their  daily  lives.  By  honorable  and  upright  living, 
by  obedience  to  the  commandments  of  God,  and  by  the  aid  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  we  shall  place  ourselves  in  a  position  to 
work  out  our  own  salvation  here  and  hereafter,  "with  fear 
and  trembling,"  it  may  be,  but  with  absolute  certainty. 

This  is  a  work  that  makes  every  soul  who  engages  in 
it  big  and  broad.  It  is  a  life-work  worth  the  while  of  every 
man  in  the  world. — Improvement  Era,  1911-12,  Vol.  15,  pp. 
843-845. 

SEARCH  AND  YE  SHALL  FIND.  The  fact  is  that  every 
principle  of  healing,  every  principle  of  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  of  God,  which  have  been  manifested  to  the 
Saints  in  all  ages,  have  been  bestowed  upon  the  Latter-day 
Saints.  There  is  no  principle,  there  is  no  blessing,  there  is 
no  advantage,  there  is  no  truth  in  any  other  religious  soci- 
ety or  organization,  which  is  not  included  in  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ  as  taught  by  Joseph  Smith,  the  Prophet,  and 
after  him  by  the  leaders  and  elders  of  this  Church;  but  it 
requires  some  effort  on  our  part,  some  exertion,  some  devo- 
tion, to  learn  of  and  to  enjoy  these  things.  If  we  neglect 
them,  we  are,  of  course,  not  the  recipients  of  the  blessings 
that  follow  effort,  and  that  come  from  a  thorough  under- 
standing of  these  principles.  Hence  it  is  that  others  may 
come  in  among  us  and  advocate  their  ideas  which,  though 
not  comparing  with  ours  in  plainness,  instruction,  and  truth, 
are  yet  listened  to  by  people  who  are  made  to  believe  that 
all  these  things  are  new,  and  not  contained  in  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ  as  taught  by  the  Latter-day  Saints.  This  is  a 
fearful  fallacy,  and  one  that  should  be  guarded  against  by 
every  one  who  loves  the  gospel. 


152  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

In  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  will 
be  found  to  a  greater  extent  than  in  any  other  church,  the 
principles  of  life  and  salvation ;  and  if  we  search  them  out 
of  our  literature  and  learn  them  for  ourselves,  have  them 
confirmed  by  the  Spirit,  by  right  living,  and  make  them  a 
part  of  ourselves,  we  shall  find  greater  comfort  and  richer 
blessings,  greater  treasures  of  everlasting  life  than  in  any 
other  teachings  that  may  be  given  to  us  by  any  other  or- 
ganization upon  the  earth. — Improvement  Era,  May,  1909, 
Vol.  12,  p.  561. 

THE  SPIRIT  OF  RELIGION.  A  serious  time  will  come  in 
every  life.  There  is  a  parting  of  the  ways.  What  you  in- 
dulge in  will  lead  you  up  or  down.  I  have  no  hesitancy  in 
declaring  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  that  the  spirit  which  leads 
you  to  complain  that  you  are  bored  in  attending  the  worship- 
ing assemblies  of  the  Saints  has  led  or  will  lead  you  astray ; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  young  people  who  cultivate 
the  true  spirit  of  worship,  and  find  happiness  and  pleasure 
in  the  associations  of  the  Saints,  and  who  care  enough  for 
God  and  religion  to  support  the  Church  and  attend  the 
meetings,  are  the  people  whose  moral  and  spiritual  influence 
will  control  public  sentiment  and  govern  the  rotate  and  na- 
tion. In  any  conflict  with  indifference  and  the  spirit  of 
worldly  pleasure,  moral  influence  and  religious  earnestness 
will  always  conquer  and  rule.  — Improvement  Era,  October, 
1903,  Vol.  6,  p.  944. 

THE  MEANING  OF  SUCCESS.  There  are  daily  evidences 
of  a  growing  tendency  among  the  masses  of  the  civilized 
world  to  regard  success  in  life  purely  from  the  standpoint 
of  material  advancement.  The  man  who  has  a  beautiful 
home  and  a  large  income  is  looked  upon  as  a  successful  man. 
People  are  constantly  talking  about  the  winners  of  fortune 
in  the  contest  for  wealth.  Men  who  are  successful  in  obtain- 
ing the  honors  bestowed  by  their  fellowmen  are  envied  as 
among  the  most  fortunate.  Everywhere  men  hear  the  word 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  MAN  153 

success  dwelt  upon  as  if  success  were  defined  in  a  word  and 
as  if  the  highest  ambition  of  men  and  women  was  the  ad- 
vancement .of  some  worldly  ambition. 

All  this  rage  about  success  simply  indicates  the  gross 
materialism  of  the  age  in  which  we  live.  Here  is  what  a 
Scate  Commissioner  of  Education  says  to  a  graduating  class: 
"You  need  not  expect  that  people  will  stand  aside  because 
you  have  come.  They  are  going  to  crowd  you,  and  you  will 
have  to  crowd  them.  They  will  leave  you  behind  unless 
you  leave  them  behind."  The  meaning  of  such  talk  is  that 
to  be  successful  you  must  take  advantage  of  your  fellow- 
men  ;  you  must  crowd  them  out  and  leave  them  behind ;  and 
all  because  if  you  do  not  take  advantage  of  them  they  will 
take  advantage  of  you. 

After  all,  what  is  success,  and  who  are  competent  to 
judge?  The  great  masses  who  lived  in  the  days  of  Jesus 
would  have  said  that  his  life  was  a  stupendous  failure,  that 
his  life  and  teachings  ended  in  inglorious  defeat.  Even  his 
disciples  were  disappointed  in  his  death,  and  their  efforts 
to  perpetuate  his  name  and  teachings  were  covered  with 
ignominy  and  contempt.  It  was  centuries  before  the  success 
of  his  life  became  apparent  to  the  world.  We  can  easily 
comprehend,  therefore,  how  it  has  taken  centuries  to  ac- 
complish achievements  that  were  set  in  motion  by  some  ob- 
scure or  despised  personage.  The  triumph,  therefore,  of 
Jesus  would  have  been  looked  upon  by  his  generation  as 
one  of  the  paradoxes  of  history. 

When  the  prophet  Joseph  Smith  was  slain,  his  enemies 
rejoiced  in  what  they  considered  the  inglorious  ending  of 
his  life.  They  were  sure  that  all  he  had  done  would  end 
with  him  and  so  they  could  pronounce  his  life  a  burlesque 
and  a  failure.  It  will  be  seen  from  these  instances  that  the 
contemporaries  of  a  man  are  not  always  competent  to  say 
whether  his  life  has  been  a  success  or  a  failure.  A  sound 


154  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

judgment   must   await   future   generations,   perhaps   future 
centuries. 

If  your  neighbor  today  is  a  poor  widow  who  rears,  amid 
the  greatest  struggles  and  in  unbearable  poverty,  three  or 
four  or  half  a  dozen  children,  perhaps  no  one  would  say 
of  her  life  that  it  was  a  success,  and  yet  there  may  be  in 
her  offspring  the  embryo  of  future  greatness,  future  gen- 
erations may  cover  her  motherhood  with  glory. 

After  all,  one's  success  must  be  determined  more  by 
the  eternal  (as  well  as  the  present)  needs  of  man,  than  by 
temporary  standards  which  men  erect  in  pursuance  of  the 
spirit  of  the  age  in  which  they  live.  Certainly  nothing  is 
more  fatal  to  our  well  being  than  the  notion  that  our  present 
and  eternal  welfare  is  founded  upon  the  wealth  and  honors 
of  this  world. 

The  great  truth  enunciated  by  the  Savior  seems  very 
generally  to  be  lost)  sight  of  in  this  generation,  that  it  will 
profit  a  man  nothing  though  he  should  gain  the  whole  world 
if  he  lose  his  own  soul. 

The  standard  of  success  as  declared  by  the  word  of  God, 
is  the  salvation  of  the  soul.  The  greatest  gift  of  God  is 
eternal  life. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Sept.  15,  1904.  Vol.  39,  p. 
561-62. 

WHAT  is  TO  BECOME  OF  SUCH  AS  ME.  That  there  are 
many  good  people  in  the  world  who  believe  the  principles  of 
the  gospel  as  taught  by  the  Latter-day  Saints,  and  yet, 
through  circumstances  and  environment,  are  not  prepared 
publicly  to  accept  the  same,  is  evidenced  by  the  following 
extract  from  a  letter  written  by  a  reverend  gentleman : 

"What  is  to  become  of  such  as  me,  who  believe  this 
about  you  and  yet  are  tied  and  bound  by  circumstances  such 
as  mine?  Here  I  have  been  a  minister  for  fifty-five  years. 
I  cannot  change  now  if  I  would." 

In  answer  to  the  question,  "What  is  to  become  of  such 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  MAN  155 

as  me?"  let  it  be  said  that  every  person  will  receive  his 
just  reward  for  the  good  he  may  do  and  for  his  .every  act. 
"But  let  it  be  remembered  that  all  blessings  which  we  shall 
receive,  either  here  or  hereafter,  must  come  to  us  as  a 
result  of  our  obedience  to  the  laws  of  God  upon  which  these 
blessings  are  predicated.  Our  friend  will  not  be  forgotten  for 
the  kindness  he  has  extended  to  the  work  and  the  servants 
of  the  Lord,  but  will  be  remembeerd  of  Him  and  rewarded 
for  his  faith  and  for  every  good  deed  and  word.  But  there 
are  many  blessings  that  result  from  obeying  the  ordinances 
of  the  gospel,  and  acknowledging  the  priesthood  authorized 
of  the  Father  and  restored  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints,  that  cannot  be  obtained  until  the  person 
is  willing  to  comply  with  the  ordinances  and  keep  the  com- 
mandments revealed  in  our  day  for  the  salvation  of  man- 
kind. The  true  searcher  will  see  and  understand  this  truth 
and  act  upon  it,  either  in  this  world  or  in  the  world  to  come, 
and  not  until  then,  of  course,  may  he  claim  all  the  blessings. 
The  earlier  he  accepts,  the  earlier  will  he  obtain  the  blessings 
and  if  he  neglects  to  accept  the  laws  in  this  world,  knowing 
them  to  be  true,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  disadvan- 
tages will  result  that  will  cause  him  deep  regret. — Improve- 
ment Era,  1912-13,  Vol.  16,  pp.  70-72. 

REST  FOR  THE  PEACEABLE  FOLLOWERS  OF  CHRIST.  I 
desire  to  call  the  attention  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  to  the 
words  of  the  Prophet  Moroni,  who  says,  in  speaking  of  his 
father's  instructions  to  the  ancient  .saints  upon  this  conti- 
nent: 

"Wherefore  I  would  speak  unto  you  that  are  of  the 
Church,  that  are  the  peaceable  followers  of  Christ,  and 
that  have  obtained  a  sufficient  hope,  by  which  ye  can  enter 
into  the  rest  of  the  Lord,  from  this  time  henceforth,  until 
ye  .shall  rest  with  him  in  heaven." 

This  is  a  very  significant  passage.     The  rest  here  re- 


156  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

ferred  to  is  not  physical  rest,  for  there  is  no  such  thing  as 
physical  rest  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ.  Reference  is 
made  to  the  spiritual  rest  and  peace  which  are  born  from 
a  setttled  conviction  of  the  truth  in  the  minds  of  men.  We 
may  thus  enter  into  the  rest  of  the  Lord  today,  by  coming 
to  an  understanding  of  the  truths  ,of  the  gospel.  No  peo- 
ple is  more  entitled  to  this  rest — this  peace  of  the  spirit — 
than  are  members  of  the  Church.  It  is  true  that  not  all  are 
unsettled.  Not  all  need  to  seek  this  rest,  for  there  are 
many  who  now  possess  it,  whose  minds  have  become  satis- 
fied, and  who  have  set  their  eyes  upon  the  mark  of  their 
high  calling  with  an  invincible  determination  in  their  hearts 
to  be  steadfast  in  the  truth,  and  who  are  treading  in  hu- 
mility and  righteousness  the  path  marked  out  for  the 
Saints  who  are  complacent  followers  of  Jesus  Christ.  But 
there  are  many  who,  not  having  reached  this  point  of  de- 
termined conviction,  are  driven  about  by  every  wind  of 
doctrine,  thus  being  ill  at  ease,  unsettled,  restles.s.  These 
are  they  who  are  discouraged  over  incidents  that  occur  in 
the  Church,  and  in  the  nation  and  in  the  turmoils  of  men  and 
associations.  They  harbor  a  feeling  of  suspicion,  unrest,  un- 
certainty. Their  thoughts  are  disturbed,  and  they  become 
excited  with  the  least  change,  like  one  at  sea  who  has  lost 
his  bearings. 

Where  would  you  have  people  go  who  are  unsettled 
in  the  truth?  The  answer  is  plain.  They  will  not  find  satis- 
faction in  the  doctrines  of  men.  Let  them  seek  for  it  in  the 
written  word  of  God ;  let  them  pray  to  him  in  their  secret 
chambers,  where  no  human  ear  can  hear,  and  in  their 
closets  petition  for  light;  let  them  obey  the  doctrines  of 
Jesus,  and  they  will  immediately  begin  to  grow  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth.  This  course  will  bring  peace  to 
their  souls,  joy  to  their  hearts,  and  a  settled  conviction 
which  no  change  can  disturb.  They  may  be  well  assured 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  MAN  157 

that  "he  that  heareth  in  secret  will  reward  them  openly." 
Let  them  seek  for  strength  from  the  Source  of  all  strength, 
and  he  will  provide  spiritual  contentment,  a  rest  which  is 
incomparable  with  the  physical  rest  that  cometh  after  toil. 
All  who  ,seek  have  a  right  to,  and  may  enter  into,  the  rest 
of  God,  here  upon  the  earth,  from  this  time  forth,  now, 
today;  and  when  earth-life  is  finished,  they  shall  also  en- 
joy his  rest  in  heaven. 

I  know  that  Christ  is  the  Only  Begotten  Son  of  God, 
that  he  is  the  Redeemer  of  the  world,  that  he  was  raised 
from  the  dead ;  and  that  as  he  arose,  so  shall  every  soul 
bearing  the  image  of  God  arise  from  the  dead  and  be 
judged  according  to  his  works,  be  they  good  or  evil.  In 
the  never-ending  eternities  of  our  Father  in  heaven,  the 
righteous  shall  rejoice,  while  the  association  and  love  of 
their  families  and  friends  shall  glorify  them  through  the 
ages  that  are  to  come.  Joy  and  rest  unspeakable  will  be 
their  reward. 

These  are  some  of  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ  which  the  Latter-day  Saints  believe.  I  don't  wish  for 
anything  better;  I  desire  to  be  satisfied  in  these,  and  to 
possess  that  peace  and  joy  which  spring  from  the  contem- 
plation of  the  opportunities  and  truths  that  are  embraced  in 
this  gospel.  Were  I  to  seek  for  other  truths,  where  would 
I  go?  Not  to  man.  I  must  know  for  myself,  from  the 
source  which  provides  these  blessings  and  gifts ;  but  what 
more  would  I  ask  for  than  a  knowledge  of  the  resurrection, 
that  I  shall  be  made  whole  of  my  sins  an-d  become  perfect 
in  Christ  Jesus,  through  obedience  to  his  gospel?  Is  any 
doctrine  more  reasonable  and  more  compatible  with  free 
agency  than  this  ?  It  is  true  that  ancient  philosophers  taught 
us  many  morals,  but  where,  in  all  the  philosophy  of  the 
world,  have  we  better  teachings  than  in  the  gospel  of  Christ 
which  has  been  revealed  to  us,  and  which  we  hold  and  are 


158  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

made  partakers  of?  No  doctrine  was  ever  as  perfect  as  that 
of  Jesus.  Christ  perfected  every  principle  that  had  hitherto 
been  taught  by  the  philosophers  of  the  world;  he  has  re- 
vealed to  us  the  way  of  salvation,  from  the  beginning,  and 
through  all  the  meanderings  of  this  life  to  never-ending  ex- 
altation and  glory  in  his  kingdom,  and  to  a  newness  of 
life  therein.  He  has  taught  us  that  man  is  a  dual  being, 
the  offspring  of  God,  and  that  the  body  and  the  spirit, 
blended  in  one  immortal  soul,  is  eventually  to  stand  in  the 
presence  of  its  Maker,  and  see  as  it  is  seen,  and  know  as  it 
is  known.  Whenever  the  Lord  speaks  to  man,  he  speaks  to 
his  immortal  soul,  and  satisfaction  and  unsurpassing  .peace 
and  joy  come  to  all  who  listen. 

Happy  is  the  man,  indeed,  who  can  receive  this  soul- 
satisfying  testimony,  and  be  at  rest,  and  seek  for  no  other 
road  to  peace  than  by  the  doctrines  of  Jesus  Christ.  His 
gospel  teaches  us  to  love  our  fellow-men,  to  do  to  others  as 
we  would  have  others  do  to  us,  to  be  just,  to  be  merciful, 
to  be  forgiving  and  to  perform  every  good  act  calculated 
to  enlarge  the  soul  of  man.  His  perfected  philosophy 
teaches  also  that  it  is  better  to  suffer  wrong  than  to  do 
wrong,  and  to  pray  for  our  enemies  and -for  those  who  de- 
spitefully  use  us.  There  are  no  other  gospels  or  systems  of 
philosophy  that  bear  these  marks  of  divinity  and  immortality. 
You  may  hunt  the  philosophies  of  the  world  in  vain  for  any 
code  of  ethics  that  insures  the  peace  and  rest  that  may  be 
found  in  his  comprehensive,  yet  simple,  gospel. 

To  the  young  man  or  the  young  woman  who  is  at  a 
loss  to  know  what  to  do,  among  all  the  various  teachings 
that  are  extant  in  the  world,  I  would  say:  Search  the 
Scriptures,  seek  God  in  prayer,  and  then  read  the  doctrines 
that  have  been  proclaimed  by  Christ  in  his  sermon  on  the 
mount,  as  found  in  Matthew  (and  as  reiterated  to  the  ancient 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  MAN  159 

saints  upon  this  continent  (III  Nephi).  Having  studied  these 
splendid  standards,  and  searched  deeply  the  significance  of 
these  matchless  sentiments,  you  may  defy  the  philosophies 
of  the  world,  or  any  of  its  ethics  to  produce  their  equal. 
The  wisdom  of  men  is  not  to  be  compared  with  them.  They 
lead  to  the  rest  of  the  peaceable  followers  of  Christ,  and 
enable  mankind  to  become  perfect  as  he  is  perfect.  No 
other  philosopher  has  ever  .said  as  Jesus  said,  "Come  unto 
me."  From  the  beginning  of  the  world  until  the  present  time, 
no  other  philosopher  has  ever  cried  unto  the  people  such 
words  of  love,  nor  guaranteed  »and  declared  power  within 
himself  to  save.  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are 
heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest,"  is  his  call  to  all  the 
sons  and  daughters  of  men. 

The  Latter-day  Saints  have  answered  the  call,  and 
thousands  thereby  have  found  rest  and  peace  surpassing 
all  understanding;  and  this  notwithstanding  the  outward 
fiery  ordeals,  the  turmoil  and  the  strife,  through  which  they 
have  passed.  They  rest  in  the  knowledge  that  no  man  could 
declare  or  teach  such  doctrine ;  it  is  the  truth  of  God. 

I  thank  our  Father  that  I  have  come  to  a  knowledge  of 
this  truth,  that  I  know  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  in  whom 
alone  there  is  rest  and  .salvation.  As  God  lives,  they  are 
deceived  who  follow  men  and  their  philosophies ;  but  happy 
are  they  who  enter  into  the  rest  of  the  peaceable  followers 
of  Christ,  obtaining  sufficient  hope  from  this  time  hence- 
forth until  they  shall  rest  with  him  in  heaven.  They  de- 
pend completely  upon  the  saving  power  of  his  gospel,  and 
are  therefore  at  rest  in  all  the  tumult  of  mind  and  public 
agitation  which  beset  their  way. — Improvement  Era,  1903-4, 
Vol.  7,  pp.  714-18. 

HARMONY.  As  to  harmony,  with  special  reference  to 
the  understanding  that  the  Latter-day  Saints  should  have  of 
it,  as  affecting  the  membership  of  the  Church,  or  as  subsist- 


160  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

ing  in  the  quorums  of  the  priesthood,  I  would  say  that  the 
harmony  that  is  sought  to  be  established  among  the  Saints, 
and  in  the  membership  of  the  respective  quorums  is  a 
harmony  that  comes  from  seeing  eye  to  eye  in  all  things ; 
from  understanding  things  alike;  a  harmony  that  is  born 
of  perfect  knowledge ;  perfect  honesty,  perfect  unselfishness, 
perfect  love.  This  is  the  harmony  the  Church  would  incul- 
cate among  its  members,  and  such  the  elements  from  which 
she  would  have  it  arise. 

It  is  with  harmony  as  it  is  with  all  the  ideals  of  the 
gospel.  The  Saints  and  elders  of  the  Church  may  fail  in 
perfect  attainment  of  them,  in  this  life,  but  they  may  ap- 
proximate them.  While  that  is  true  respecting  all  the 
details  of  the  gospel,  and  as  true  of  the  perfect  harmony  we 
seek  to  attain  as  of  other  ideal  conditions,  yet  we  recognize 
the  fact  that  a  certain  degree  of  harmony  is  essential  in  the 
Church  as  a  working  principle.  This  degree  of  harmony, 
essential  in  the  Church,  among  the  members  and  in  the 
quorums  of  the  priesthood,  is  neither  hard  to  understand 
nor  difficult  of  attainment.  Neither  is  it  a  new  principle, 
nor  peculiar  to  the  Church  of  the  Latter-day  Saints.  It  is 
as  old  as  the  society  of  men.  It  is  common  to 'all  men  work- 
ing in  community — to  parliaments,  congresses,  conventions 
boards,  bureaucracies,  and  conferences  of  all  descriptions. 
In  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  this 
essential  harmony  consists  of  such  union  or  agreement  as  is 
necessary  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  purposes  of  the  or- 
ganization. These  purposes,  in  the  main,  are  accomplished 
through  the  several  councils  of  the  priesthood,  and  through 
the  conferences  of  the  Church ;  hence,  the  work  is  done  by 
the  combined  actions  of  groups  of  individuals,  and  of  neces- 
sity must  be  by  their  agreement  or  consent.  With  men  of 
varying  intelligence,  judgment,  and  temperament,  of  course 
it  follows  that  in  the  consideration  of  a  given  matter  there 
will  be  a  variety  of  views  entertained,  and  discussion  of  the 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  MAN  161 

subject  will  nearly  always  develop  a  variety  of  opinions.  All 
this,  by  the  way,  is  not  detrimental  to  the  quality  of  any 
proposed  action,  since  the  greater  the  variety  in  tempera- 
ment and  training,  of  those  in  conference,  the  more  varied 
will  be  the  viewpoints  from  which  the  subject  in  question  is 
considered,  until  it  is  likely  to  be  presented  in  almost  every 
conceivable  light,  and  its  strength  as  well  as  its  weakness 
developed,  resulting  in  the  best  possible  judgment  being 
formed  of  it.  It  is  these  considerations  which  doubtless  led 
to  the  aphorism,  "In  the  midst  of  counsel  there  is  wisdom." 
It  will  sometimes  happen,  of  course,  in  the  experiences  of 
councils  or  conferences,  that  all  present  may  not  be  brought 
to  perfect  agreement,  with  reference  to  the  proposed  action ; 
but  upon  submission  of  the  question  to  an  expression  of 
judgment,  it  is  found  that  a  majority  of  those  having  the 
right  to  decide  a  given  matter  determine  it  in  a  certain  way. 
And  now  the  question  arises,  what  shall  be  the  course  of 
those  who  are  in  the  minority,  those  not  in  the  agreement 
perfectly  with  the  decision  ?  Shall  they  go  from  the  council 
or  conference  and  contend  for  their  views  against  the  de- 
cision rendered  and  be  rebellious  and  stubborn  in  adhering 
to  their  own  judgment,  as  against  the  judgment  of  the  ma- 
jority of  the  council  or  conference  who  had  the  right  to  de- 
termine what  the  action  should  be?  The  right  answer,  I 
think,  is  obvious.  The  judgment  of  the  majority  must 
stand.  If  it  is  the  action  of  the  council  or  conference  having 
the  final  word  upon  the  subject,  it  becomes  the  decreed 
action,  the  rule  or  law,  and  must  be  maintained  as  such  un- 
til greater  knowledge  or  changed  circumstances  shall  cause 
those  who  rightfully  established  such  decision  to  modify  or 
abolish  it. 

Of  course,  if  a  member  or  members  of  the  minority  re- 
gard the  action  of  the  majority  as  a  violation  of  some  funda- 
mental principle,  or  subversive  of  the  inherent  rights  of  men, 
against  which  they  conceive  it  to  be  a  matter  of  conscience 

12 


162  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

to  enter  protest  or  absolute  repudiation,  I  understand  it  is 
their  right  to  so  proceed ;  but  this,  let  it  be  understood, 
would  be  revolutionary,  it  would  be  rebellion,  and  if  per- 
sisted in,  could  only  end  in  such  persons  voluntarily  with- 
drawing, or  being  severed  from  the  organization.  They 
cannot  hope  to  be  retained  in  a  fellowship  and  enjoy  the 
rights  and  privileges  of  the  Church,  and  at  the  same  time  be 
making  war  upon  its  decisions  or  its  rules  and  policy.  But 
no  power  on  earth,  certainly  no  power  in  the  Church,  can 
prevent  men  dissatisfied  with  the  Church,  from  absolutely 
withdrawing  from  it ;  and  such  is  the  disfavor  with  which 
the  Church  is  regarded  by  the  world  that  such  withdrawals 
would  in  most  cases  be  rewarded  by  the  applause  of  the 
world.  Or,  if  the  dissatisfaction  of  the  member  be  only  with 
the  quorum  or  council  of  the  priesthood  with  which  he  is 
connected,  he  would  be  at  liberty  to  withdraw  from  that 
quorum  or  council,  and  still  retain  his  membership  in  the 
Church.  On  the  other  hand,  the  harmony  which  I  spoke  of 
as  being  essential  to  the  Church  certainly  demands  that  the 
Church  shall  not  tolerate,  and  indeed,  if  the  life  of  the  or- 
ganization persists,  it  cannot  tolerate  such  internal  conflicts 
as  those  just  alluded  to,  as  they  would  lead  to  confusion, 
anarchy,  disruption,  and  final  abolishment  of  the  organiza- 
tion. 

There  is  one  other  element  to  be  considered  in  this  mat- 
ter of  harmony,  as  a  doctrine  of  the  Church,  which  may  not 
operate  in  other  community  efforts  of  men ;  and  that  is,  the 
living  presence  and  effective  force  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  That" 
Spirit,  it  must  be  remembered,  is,  by  way  of  preeminence, 
called  "The  Spirit  of  Truth,  which  proceedeth  from  the 
Father."  He  teaches  all  things ;  and  brings  to  the  remem- 
brance of  the  Saints  all  the  instructions  of  the  Master.  He 
guides  into  all  truth,  and  as  in  all  truth  there  is  unity  or 
harmony,  so,  it  is  believed  that  if  the  Saints  are  in  posses- 
sion of  this  Spirit,  the  harmony  in  the  Church  of  Christ  will 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  MAN  163 

be  superior  to  the  harmony  that  can  be  looked  for  or  hoped 
for,  in  any  other  organization  whatsoever.  And  because  the 
Saints  have  free  access  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  may  walk 
within  his  light  and  fellowship  and  possess  the  intelligence 
which  he  is  able  to  impart,  a  stricter  harmony  among  the 
Saints  may  be  insisted  upon  than  in  any  other  organization 
of  men  whatsoever.  For  the  same  reason,  lack  of  harmony 
may  be  more  severely  censured  and  persistent  opposition  and 
rebellion  more  justly  denounced  and  swiftly  punished. 

In  all  things,  however,  patience  and  charity  must  be 
exercised — and  no  less  in  seeking  the  perfect  harmony  we 
hope  for,  than  in  other  things.  The  present  state  of  im- 
perfect knowledge,  the  struggle  it  is  for  all  men  to  live  on 
those  spiritual  heights  where  they  may  be  in  communion 
with  God,  must  be  taken  into  account  and  due  allowance 
made  for  human  weakness  and  imperfections.  So  that,  while 
the  existence  of  that  degree  of  harmony  essential  as  a  work- 
ing principle  in  the  Church  must  always  be  imperatively  de- 
manded, beyond  that,  the  Church  in  the  matter  of  harmony 
may  well  afford  to  exercise  forbearance  and  charity  towards 
all  its  members  until  the  day  of  more  perfect  knowledge 
shall  arise  upon  the  Saints ;  a  day  when,  through  a  wider 
effusion  and  a  deeper  penetration  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  they 
may  be  brought  to  stand  in  perfect  harmony  with  each  other 
and  with  God. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  8,  1904-5,  pp.  209- 
215. 

CHARACTER,  METTLE,  AND  MISSION  OF  THE  LATTER- 
DAY  SAINTS.  We  do  not  look  for  absolute  perfection  in 
man.  Mortal  man  is  not  capable  of  being  absolutely  perfect. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  given  to  us  to  be  as  perfect  in  the  sphere 
in  which  we  are  called  to  be  and  to  act,  as  it  is  for  the  Father 
in  heaven  to  be  pure  and  righteous  in  the  more  exalted 
sphere  in  which  he  acts.  We  will  find  in  the  scriptures  the 
words  of  the  Savior  himself  to  his  disciples,  in  which  he 
required  that  they  should  be  perfect,  even  as  their  Father 


164  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

in  heaven  is  perfect;  that  they  should  be  righteous,  even  as 
he  is  righteous.  I  do  not  expect  that  we  can  be  as  perfect 
as  Christ,  that  we  can  be  as  righteous  as  God.  But  I  believe 
that  we  can  strive  for  that  perfection  with  the  intelligence 
that  we  possess,  and  the  knowledge  that  we  have  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  life  and  salvation.  The  duty  of  the  Latter-day 
Saints,  and  the  paramount  duty  of  those  who  are  leaders  in 
this  work  of  mutual  improvement  in  the  Church,  is  to  incul- 
cate in  the  hearts  of  the  young  people  these  principles  of 
righteousness,  of  purity  of  life,  of  honor,  of  uprightness 
and  of  humility  withal,  that  we  may  be  humble  before  God 
and  acknowledge  his  hand  in  all  things.  According  to  his 
revelations,  he  is  displeased  with  those  who  will  not  ac- 
knowledge his  hand  in  all  things.  When  we  look  at  the  im- 
perfections of  our  fellow-beings,  some  of  the  inclinations  of 
those  with  whom  we  are  intimately  associated  in  the  various 
organizations  of  the  Church,  and  discern  in  them  their 
natural  proneness  to. evil,  to  sinfulness,  to  a  disregard  of 
sacred  things,  and  sometimes  their  inclination  to  disregard 
and  treat  lightly,  if  not  with  contempt,  those  things  which 
should  be  more  sacred  than  life  itself,  it  makes  the  task  seem 
almost  discouraging,  and  it  seems  impossible  for  us  to  ac- 
complish that  which  we  have  in  view,  and  to  perform  the 
mission  that  we  have  undertaken  to  our  own  satisfaction 
and  the  acceptance  of  the  Lord. 

But  what  shall  we  do?  Shall  we  quit  because  there 
are  those  with  whom  we  come  in  contact  who  are  not  will- 
ing to  rise  to  the  standard  to  which  we  seek  to  exalt  them  ? 
No!  Someone  has  said  that  the  Lord  hates  a  quitter,  and 
there  should  be  no  such  thing  as  quitting  when  we  put  our 
hands  to  the  plow  to  save  men,  to  save  souls,  to  exalt  man- 
kind, to  inculcate  principles  of  righteousness  and  establish 
them  in  the  hearts  of  those  with  whom  we  are  associated, 
both  by  precept  and  by  example.  There  must  be  no  such 
thing  as  being  discouraged.  We  may  fail  over  and  over  again, 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  MAN  165 

but  if  we  do,  it  is  in  individual  cases.  Under  certain  conditions 
and  circumstances,  we  may  fail  to  accomplish  the  object  we 
have  in  view  with  reference  to  this  individual  or  the  other  in- 
dividual, or  a  number  of  individuals  that  we  are  seeking  to 
benefit,  to  uplift,  to  purify,  to  get  into  their  hearts  the  prin- 
ciples of  justice,  of  righteousness,  of  virtue  and  of  honor, 
that  would  fit  them  to  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God ;  to  asso- 
ciate with  angels,  should  they  come  to  visit  the  earth.  If 
you  fail,  never  mind.  Go  right  on ;  try  it  again ;  try  it 
somewhere  else.  Never  say  quit.  Do  not  say  it  cannot  be 
done.  Failure  is  a  word  that  sijpuld  be  unknown  to  all  the 
workers  in  the  Sunday  Schools,  in  the  Mutual  Improvement 
Associations,  in  our  Primary  Associations,  in  the  quorums  of 
Priesthood,  as  well  as  in  all  the  organizations  of  the  Church 
everywhere.  The  word  "fail"  ought  to  be  expunged  from 
our  language  and  our  thoughts.  We  do  not  fail  when  we 
seek  to  benefit  the  erring,  and  they  will  not  listen  to  us.  We 
will  get  the  reward  for  all  the  good  we  do.  We  will  get  the 
reward  for  all  the  good  we  desire  to  do,  and  labor  to  do, 
though  we  fail  to  accomplish  it,  for  we  will  be  judged  ac- 
cording to  our  works  and  our  intent  and  purposes.  The 
victim  of  evil,  or  sin,  the  one  whom  we  seek  to  benefit,  but 
who  will  not  yield  to  our  endeavors  to  benefit  him,  may  fail, 
but  we  who  try  to  uplift  him  will  not  fail,  if  we  do  not  quit. 

If  we  continue  trying,  failing,  as  it  were,  or  missing  one 
mark,  should  not  discourage  us ;  but  we  should  fly  to  another, 
keep  on  in  the  work,  keep  on  doing,  patiently,  determinedly 
doing  our  duty,  seeking  to  accomplish  the  purpose  we  have 
in  view. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  Latter-day  Saints,  the  duty  of  those 
auxiliary  organizations  of  the  Church,  all  and  each  of  them, 
to  teach  to  the  children  that  are  brought  within  our  influence 
and  care  the  divinity  of  the  mission  of  Joseph  Smith,  the 
prophet.  Do  not  forget  it.  Do  not  let  him  perish  out  of 
your  thoughts  and  minds.  Remember  that  the  Lord  God 


166  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

raised  him  to  lay  the  foundations  of  this  work,  and  the  Lord 
did  what  has  been  done  through  him,  and  we  see  the  results 
of  it.  Men  may  scoff  at  Joseph  Smith  and  at  his  mission, 
just  as  they  scoffed  at  the  Savior  and  his  mission.  They 
may  ridicule  and  make  light  of  and  condemn  the  mission  of 
the  Christ,  and  yet  with  all  their  condemnation,  their  scoff- 
ing, their  ridicule,  their  contempt  and  murderous  persecu- 
tion of  the  Saints  of  former  days,  God's  name,  the  name  of 
the  lowly  Nazarene — he  that  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head, 
he  that  was  scoffed  at,  abused,  insulted,  persecuted  and 
driven  into  concealment  and  into  exile,  time  and  again,  be- 
cause they  sought  his  life ;  he  that  was  charged  with  doing 
good  by  the  power  of  Satan ;  he  that  was  charged  with  vio- 
lating the  Sabbath  day,  because  he  permitted  his  disciples 
to  gather  ears  of  corn  and  eat  them  on  the  Sabbath ;  he  that 
was  called  a  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners,  he  that  was 
called  a  friend  of  wine  bibbers,  and  all  this  sort  of  thing; 
and  at  last  was  crucified,  mocked,  crowned  with  thorns,  spat 
upon,  smitten  and  abused  until  he  was  lifted  upon  the  cross, 
as  they  shouted :  "Now,  if  thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  come 
down !" — even  the  thieves  crucified  with  him  mocked  and 
ridiculed  him,  and  asked  him,  if  he  were  Christ  to  come 
down  and  also  deliver  them — all  this  happened  to  Jesus,  the 
Son  of  God.  But  what  is  the  result?  Look  at  the  so-called 
Christian  world  today.  Never  has  there  been  a  name  brought 
to  the  intelligence  of  the  human  race  since  the  foundations 
of  the  world  that  has  accomplished  so  much,  that  has  been 
revered  and  honored  so  much  as  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ — 
once  so  hated  and  persecuted  and  crucified.  The  day  will 
come — and  it  is  not  far  distant,  either — when  the  name  of 
the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  will  be  coupled  with  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth,  the  Son  of  God,  as  his  representa- 
tive, as  his  agent  whom  he  chose,  ordained  and  set  apart  to 
lay  anew  the  foundations  of  the  Church  of  God  in  the 
world,  which  is  indeed  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  possess- 


THE  'CHI  'RCH  AND  THE  MAN  167 

ing  all  the  powers  of  the  gospel,  all  the  rites  and  privileges, 
the  authority  of  the  holy  priesthood,  and  every  principle 
necessary  to  fit  and  qualify  both  the  living  and  the  dead  to 
inherit  eternal  life,  and  to  attain  to  exaltation  in  the  king- 
dom of  God.  The  day  will  come  when  you  and  I  will  not 
be  the  only  ones  who  will  believe  this,  by  a  great  deal ;  but 
there  will  be  millions  of  people,  living  and  dead,  who  will 
proclaim  this  truth.  This  gospel  revealed  by  the  Prophet 
Joseph  is  already  being  preached  to  the  spirits  in  prison,  to 
those  who  have  passed  away  from  this  stage  of  action  into 
the  spirit  world  without  the  knowledge  of  the  gospel.  Joseph 
Smith  is  preaching  the  gospel  to  them,  so  is  Hyrum  Smith, 
so  is  Brigham  Young,  and  so  are  all  the  faithful  apostles  that 
lived  in  this  dispensation,  under  the  administration  of  the 
Prophet  Joseph.  They  are  there,  having  carried  with  them 
from  here  the  holy  priesthood  which  they  received  under  the 
hands  and  by  the  authority  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith. 
With  that  authority,  conferred  upon  them  in  the  flesh,  they 
are  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  spirits  in  prison,  as  Christ  di- 
rected when  his  body  lay  in  the  tomb,  and  he  went  to  proclaim 
liberty  to  the  captives,  and  to  open  the  prison  doors  to  them 
that  were  bound.  Not  only  are  these  engaged  in  that  work, 
but  hundreds  and  thousands  of  others.  The  elders  that  have 
died  in  the  mission  field  have  not  finished  their  missions,  but 
they  are  continuing  them  in  the  spirit  world.  Possibly  the 
Lord  saw  it  necessary  or  proper  to  call  them  herice,  as  he 
did.  I  am  not  going  to  question  that  thought,  at  least,  not 
dispute  it.  I  leave  it  in  the  hands  of  God,  for  I  believe  that 
all  these  things  will  be  overruled  for  good,  for  the  Lord 
will  suffer  nothing  to  go  to  his  people  in  the  world  that  he 
will  not  overrule  eventually  for  their  greater  good. — Im- 
provement Era,  Oct.,  1910,  Vol.  13,  pp.  1053-1061. 


CHAFER    IX 
Priesthood 

GOD  is  AT  THE  HELM.  We  are  living  in  a  momentous 
age.  The  Lord  is  hastening  his  work.  He  is  at  the  helm ; 
there  is  no  mortal  man  at  the  helm  of  this  work.  It  is  true, 
the  Lord  uses  such  instruments  as  will  be  obedient  to  his 
commandments  and  laws  to  assist  in  accomplishing  his  pur- 
poses in  the  earth.  He  has  chosen  those  who,  at  least,  have 
shown  a  willingness  and  a  disposition  to  obey  him  and  keep 
his  laws,  and  who  seek  to  work  righteousness  and  carry 
out  the  purposes  of  the  Lord. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1906,  pp.  3,  4. 

DISTINCTION  BETWEEN  KEYS  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND 
PRIESTHOOD.  The  priesthood  in  general  is  the  authority 
given  to  man  to  act  for  God.  Every  man  ordained  to  any 
degree  of  the  priesthood,  has  this  authority  dedicated  to  him. 

But  it  is  necessary  that  every  act  performed  under  this 
authority  shall  be  done  at  the  proper  time  and  place,  in  the 
proper  way,  and  after  the  proper  order.  The  power  of  di- 
recting these  labors  constitutes  the  keys  of  the  priesthood. 
In  their  fulness,  these  keys  are  held  by  only  one  person  at  a 
time,  the  prophet  and  president  of  the  Church.  He  may 
delegate  any  portion  of  this  power  to  another,  in  which  case 
that  person  holds  the  keys  of  that  particular  labor.  Thus, 
the  president  of  a  temple,  the  president  of  a  stake,  the  bishop 
of  a  ward,  the  president  of  a  mission,  the  president  of  a 
quorum,  each  holds  the  keys  of  the  labors  performed  in  that 
particular  body  or  locality.  His  priesthood  is  not  increased 
by  this  special  appointment,  for  a  seventy  who  presides  over 
a  mission  has  no  more  priesthood  than  a  seventy  who  labors 
under  his  direction ;  and  the  president  of  an  elders'  quorum, 
for  example,  has  no  more  priesthood  than  any  member  of 
that  quorum.  But  he  holds  the  power  directing  the  official 


PRIESTHOOD  169 

labors  performed  in  the  mission  or  the  quorum,  or  in  other 
words,  the  keys  of  that  division  of  that  work.  So  it  is 
throughout  all  the  ramifications  of  the  priesthood — a  dis- 
tinction must  be  carefully  made  between  the  general  author- 
ity, and  the  directing  of  the  labors  performed  by  that  author- 
ity.—Improvement  Era,  Vol.  4,  p.  230,  Jan.,  1901. 

CONFERRING  THE  PRIESTHOOD.  The  revelation  in  sec- 
tion 107,  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  verses  1,  5,  6,  7,  21  clearly 
points  out  that  the  Priesthood  is  a  general  authority  or  qual- 
ification, with  certain  offices  or  authorities  appended  thereto. 
Consequently  the  conferring  of  the  priesthood  should  precede 
and  accompany  ordination  to  office,  unless  it  be  possessed 
by  previous  bestowal  and  ordination.  Surely  a  man  cannot 
possess  an  appendage  to  the  priesthood  without  possessing 
the  priesthood  itself,  which  he  cannot  obtain  unless  it  be 
authoritatively  conferred  upon  him. 

Take,  for  instance,  the  office  of  a  deacon :  the  person 
ordained  should  have  the  Aaronic  Priesthood  conferred  upon 
him  in  connection  with  his  ordination.  He  cannot  receive 
a  portion  or  fragment  of  the  Aaronic  priesthood,  because 
that  would  be  acting  on  the  idea  that  either  or  both  of 
the  (Melchizedek  and  Aaronic)  priesthoods  were  subject 
to  subdivision,  which  is  contrary  to  the  revelation. 

In  ordaining  those  who  have  not  yet  received  the 
Aaronic  priesthood,  to  any  office  therein,  the  words  of  John 
the  Baptist  to  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  and  Oliver  Cowdery,  would 
be  appropriate  to  immediately  precede  the  act  of  ordination. 
They  are: 

"Upon  you  my  fellow  servants  [servant],  in  the  name 
of  Messiah,  I  confer  the  Priesthood  of  Aaron." 

Of  course,  it  would  not  necessarily  follow  that  these  exact 
words  should  be  used,  but  the  language  should  be  consistent 
with  the  act  of  conferring  the  Aaronic  Priesthood. — Im- 
provement Era,  Vol.  4,  p.  394,  March,  1901. 

AN    AUTHORITATIVE   DECLARATION.     The   Church   of 


170  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-clay  Saints  is  no  partisan  Church.  It 
is  not  a  sect.  It  is  The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints.  It  is  the  only  one  today  existing  in  the  world'  that 
can  and  does  legitimately  bear  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
his  divine  authority.  I  make  this  declaration  in  all  simplicity 
and  honesty  before  you  and  before  all  the  world,  bitter  as 
the  truth  may  seem  to  those  who  are  opposed  and  who  have 
no  reason  for  that  opposition.  It  is  nevertheless  true  and 
will  remain  true  until  He  who  has  a  right  to  rule  among  the 
nations  of  the  earth  and  among  the  individual  children  of 
God  throughout  the  world  shall  come  and  take  the  reins  of 
government  and  receive  the  bride  that  shall  be  prepared 
for  the  coming  of  the  Bridegroom. 

Many  of  our  great  writers  have  recently  been  querying 
and  wondering  where  the  divine  authority  exists  today  to 
command  in  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  so  that  it  will  be  in  effect  and  acceptable 
at  the  throne  of  the  Eternal  Father.  I  will  announce  here 
and  now,  presumptuous  as  it  may  seem  to  be  to  those  who 
know  not  the  truth,  that  the  divine  authority  of  Almighty 
God,  to  speak  in  the  name  of  the  Father  and  the 
Son,  is  here  in  the  midst  of  these  everlasting  hills,  in 
the  midst  of  this  intermountain  region,  and  it  will  abide 
and  will  continue,  for  God  is  its  source,  and  God  is 
the  power  by  which  it  has  been  maintained  against 
all  opposition  in  the  world  up  to  the  present,  and  by  which 
it  will  continue  to  progress  and  grow  and  increase  on  the 
earth  until  it  shall  cover  the  earth  from  sea  to  sea.  This  is 
my  testimony  to  you,  my  brethren  and  sisters,  and  I  have  a 
fulness  of  joy  and  satisfaction  in  being  able  to  declare  this 
without  regard  to,  or  fear  of,  all  the  adversaries  of  the  truth. 
—This  declaration  was  made  at  the  morning  service  of  the 
annual  conference  on  the  88th  anniversary  of  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints, 
April  6,  1918.— Improvement  Era,  Vol.  21,  p.  639. 


PRIESTHOOD  171 

THE  CHURCH  NOT  MAN-MADE.  We  believe  in  God, 
the  Father  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ,  the  Maker 
of  heaven  and  earth,  the  Father  of  our  spirits.  We  believe 
in  him  without  reserve,  we  accept  him  in  our  heart,  in  our 
religious  faith,  in  our  very  being.  We  know  that  he  loves 
us,  and  we  accept  him  as  the  Father  of  our  spirits  and  the 
Father  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ.  We  believe 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  and  in  his  divine,  saving  mission  into  the 
world,  and  in  the  redemption,  the  marvelous,  glorious  re- 
demption, that  he  wrought  for  the  salvation  of  men.  We  be- 
lieve in  him  and  this  constitutes  the  foundation  of  our  faith. 
He  is  the  foundation  and  chief  corner  stone  of  our  religion. 
We  are  his  by  adoption,  by  being  buried  with  Christ  in  bap- 
tism, by  being  born  of  the  water  and  of  the  Spirit  anew  into 
the  world,  through  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel  of  Christ 
and  we  are  thereby  God's  children,  heirs  of  God  and  joint 
heirs  with  Jesus  Christ  through  our  adoption  and  faith. 

One  of  our  brethren  who  spoke  today  gave  out  the  idea 
that  he  knew  who  was  to  lead  the  Church.  •  I  also  know 
who  will  lead  this  Church,  and  I  tell  you  that  it  will  be  no 
man  who  will  lead  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints ;  I  don't  care  in  what  time  nor  in  what  generation. 
No  man  will  lead  God's  people  nor  his  work.  God  may 
choose  men  and  make  them  instruments  in  his  hands  for 
accomplishing  his  purposes,  but  the  glory  and  honor  and 
power  will  be  due  to  the  Father,  in  whom  rests  the  wisdom 
and  the  might  to  lead  his  people  and  take  care  of  his  Zion. 
I  am  not  leading  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  nor  the  Latter- 
day  Saints,  and  I  want  this  distinctly  understood.  No  man 
does.  Joseph  did  not  do  it;  Brigham  did  not  do  it;  neither 
did  John  Taylor.  Neither  did  Wilford  Woodruff,  nor  Lo- 
renzo Snow ;  and  Joseph  F.  Smith,  least  of  them  all,  is  not 
leading  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints, 
and  will  not  lead  it.  They  were  instruments  in  God's  hands 
in  accomplishing  what  they  did.  God  did  it  through  them. 


172  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

The  honor  and  glory  is  due  to  the  Lord  and  not  to  them. 
We  are  only  instruments  whom  God  may  choose  and  use 
to  do  his  work.  All  that  we  can  do  we  should  do  to 
strengthen  them  in  the  midst  of  weakness,  in  the  great  call- 
ing to  which  they  are  called.  But  remember  that  God  leads 
the  work.  It  is  his.  It  is  not  man's  work.  If  it  had  been 
the  work  of  Joseph  Smith,  or  of  Brigham  Young,  or  of 
John  Taylor,  Wilford  Woodruff,  or  Lorenzo  Snow,  it  would 
not  have  endured  the  tests  to  which  it  has  been  subjected; 
it  would  have  been  brought  to  naught  long  ago.  But  if  it 
had  been  merely  the  work  of  men,  it  never  would  have  been 
subjected  to  such  tests,  for  the  whole  world  has  been  arrayed 
against  it-.  If  it  had  been  the  work  of  Brigham  Young  or 
Joseph  Smith,  with  such  determined  opposition  as  it  has 
met  with,  it  would  have  come  to  naught.  But  it  was  not 
theirs ;  it  was  God's  work.  Thank  God  for  that.  It  is  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation,  and  I  want  my  boys  and  girls 
to  take  my  testimony  upon  this  point.  And  yet,  while  we 
give  the  honor  and  glory  unto  the  Lord  God  Almighty  for 
the  accomplishment  of  his  purposes,  let  us  not  altogether 
despise  the  instrument  that  he  chooses  to  accomplish  the 
work  by.  We  do  not  worship  him ;  we  worship  God,  and 
we  call  upon  his  holy  name,  as  we  have  been  directed  in 
the  gospel,  in  the  name  of  his  Son.  We  call  for  mercy  in 
the  name  of  Jesus;  we  ask  for  blessings  in  the  name  of 
Jesus.  We  are  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Father  and 
of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  We  are  initiated 
into  the  Church  and  Kingdom  of  God  in  the  name  of 
the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
we  worship  the  Father.  We  seek  to  obey  the  Son  and  fol- 
low in  his  footsteps.  He  will  lead — no  man  will  ever  lead — 
his  Church.  If  the  time  or  condition  should  ever  come  to 
pass  that  a  man,  possessing  human  weaknesses,  shall  lead 
the  Church,  woe  be  to  the  Church,  for  it  will  then  become 
like  the  churches  of  the  world,  man-made,  and  man-led,  and 


PRIESTHOOD  173 

have  no  power  of  God'  or  of  life  eternal  and  salvation  con- 
nected with  it,  only  the  wisdom,  the  judgment  and  intelli- 
gence of  man.  I  pity  the  world,  because  this  is  their  con- 
dition. 

WHAT  is  THE  PRIESTHOOD?  It  is  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  the  power  of  God  delegated  to  man  by  which  man 
can  act  in  the  earth  for  the  salvation  of  the  human  family, 
in  the  name  of  the  Father  and  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  act  legitimately;  not  assuming  that  authority,  not  bor- 
rowing it  from  generations  that  are  dead  and  gone,  but  au- 
thority that  has  been  given  in  this  day  in  which  we  live  by 
ministering  angels  and  spirits  from  above,  direct  from  the 
presence  of  Almighty  God,  who  have  come  to  the  earth  in 
our  day  and  restored  the  Priesthood  to  the  children  of  men, 
by  which  they  may  baptize  for  the  remission  of  sins  and  lay 
on  hand's  for  the  reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  by  which 
they  can  remit  sin,  with  the  sanction  and  blessing  of  Al- 
mighty God.  It  is  the  same  power  and  priesthood  that  was 
committed  to  the  disciples  of  Christ  while  he  was  upon  the 
earth,  that  whatsoever  they  should  bind  on  earth  should  be 
bound  in  heaven,  and  that  whatsoever  they  should  loose  on 
earth  should  be  loosed  in  heaven,  and  whosoever  they  blessed 
should  be  blessed,  and  if  they  cursed,  in  the  spirit  of  right- 
eousness and  meekness  before  God,  God  would  confirm  that 
curse,  but  men  are  not  called  upon  to  curse  mankind;  that 
is  not  our  mission ;  it  is  our  mission  to  preach  righteousness 
to  them.  It  is  our  business  to  love  and  to  bless  men,  and  to 
redeem  them  from  the  fall  and  from  the  wickedness  of  the 
world.  This  is  our  mission  and  our  special  calling.  God 
will  curse  and  will  exercise  his  judgment  in  those  matters. 
"Vengeance  is  mine,"  saith  the  Lord,  "and  I  will  repay." 
We  are  perfectly  willing  to  leave  vengeance  in  the  hands  of 
God  and  let  him  judge  between  us  and  our  enemies,  and  let 
him  reward  them  according  to  his  own  wisdom  and  mercy. — 
Oct.  C.  R.,  1904,  p.  5. 


174  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

THE  PRIESTHOOD — DEFINITION,  PURPOSE  AND  POWER. 
What  I  mean  by  the  Holy  Priesthood  is  that  authority  which 
God  has  delegated  to  man,  by  which  he  may  speak  the  will 
of  God  as  if  the  angels  were  here  to  speak  it  them- 
selves ;  by  which  men  are  empowered  to  bind  on  earth  and 
it  shall  be  bound  in  heaven,  and  to  loose  on  earth  and  it  shall 
be  loosed  in  heaven ;  by  which  the  words  of  man,  spoken  in 
the  exercise  of  that  power,  become  the  word  of  the  Lord, 
and  the  law  of  God  unto  the  people,  scripture,  and  divine 
commands.  It  is  therefore  not  good  that  the  Latter-day 
Saints  and  the  children  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  should 
treat  lightly  this  sacred  principle  of  authority  which  has 
been  revealed  from  the  heavens  in  the  dispensation  in  which 
we  live.  It  is  the  authority'  by  which  the  Lord  Almighty 
governs  his  people,  and  by  which,  in  time  to  come,  he  will 
govern  the  nations  of  the  world.  It  is  sacred,  and  it  must 
be  held  sacred  by  the  people.  It  should  be  honored  and  re- 
spected by  them,  in  whomsoever  it  is  held,  and  in  whomsoever 
responsibility  is  placed  in  the  Church.  The  young  men  and 
women  and  the  people  generally  should  hold  this  principle 
and  recognize  it  as  something  that  is  sacred,  and  that  can- 
not be  trifled  with  nor  spoken  lightly  of  with  impunity.  Dis- 
regard of  this  authority  leads  to  darkness  and  to  apostasy, 
and  severance  from  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the  house 
of  God ;  for  it  is  by  virtue  of  this  authority  that  the  or- 
dinances of  the  gospel  are  performed  throughout  the  world 
and  in  every  sacred  place,  and  without  it  they  cannot  be  per- 
formed. Those  also  who  hold  this  authority  should  honor 
it  in  themselves.  They  should  live  so  as  to  be  worthy  of  the 
authority  vested  in  them  and  worthy  of  the  gifts  that  have 
been  bestowed  upon  them. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1901,  p.  2. 

MISSION  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD.  We  can  make  no  ad- 
vancement only  upon  the  principles  of  eternal  truth.  In  pro- 
portion as  we  become  established  upon  the  foundation  of 
these  principles  which  have  been  revealed  from  the  heav- 


PRIESTHOOD  175 

ens  in  the  latter-days,  and  determine  to  accomplish  the  pur- 
poses of  the  Lord,  will  we  progress,  and  the  Lord  will  all 
the  more  exalt  and  magnify  us  before  the  world  and  make 
us  to  assume  our  real  position  and  standing  in  the  midst  of 
the  earth.  We  have  been  looked  upon  as  interlopers,  as 
fanatics,  as  believers  in  a  false  religion ;  we  have  been  re- 
garded with  contempt,  and  treated  despicably ;  we  have  been 
driven  from  our  homes,  maligned  and  spoken  evil  of  every- 
where, until  the  people  of  the  world  have  come  to  believe 
that  we  are  the  offscourings  of  the  earth  and  scarcely  fit 
to  live.  There  are  thousands  and  thousands  of  innocent  peo- 
ple in  the  world  whose  minds  have  become  so  darkened  by 
the  slanderous  reports  that  have  gone  forth  concerning  us, 
that  they  would  feel  they  are  doing  God's  service  to  deprive 
a  member  of  this  Church  of  life,  or  of  liberty,  or  the  pursuit 
of  happiness,  if  they  could  do  it. 

The  Lord  designs  to  change  this  condition  of  things, 
and  to  make  us  known  to  the  world  in  our  true  light — as  true 
worshipers  of  God,  as  those  who  have  become  the  children 
of  God  by  repentance ;  and  by  the  law  of  adoption  have  be- 
come heirs  of  God  and  joint  heirs  with  Jesus  Christ;  and 
that  our  mission  in  this  world  is  to  do  good,  to  put  down 
iniquity  under  our  feet,  to  exalt  righteousness,  purity,  and 
holiness  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  to  establish  in  the 
minds  of  our  children,  above  all  other  things,  a  love  for 
God  and  his  word,  that  shall  be  in  them  as  a  fountain  of 
light,  strength,  faith  and  power,  leading  them  on  from  child- 
hood to  old  age,  and  making  them  firm  believers  in  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  in  the  restored  gospel  and  priesthood,  and' 
in  the  establishment  of  Zion,  no  more  to  be  thrown  down 
nor  given  to  another  people.  If  there  is  anything  that  I 
desire  above  another  in  this  world,  it  is  that  my  children 
shall  become  established  in  this  knowledge  and  faith,  so  that 
they  can  never  be  turned  aside  from  it. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1901, 
p.  70. 


176  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

WHAT  ARE  THE  KEYS  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD?  The  priest- 
hood that  we  hold  is  of  the  greatest  importance,  because  it 
is  the  authority  and  power  of  God.  It  is  authority  from 
heaven  that  has  been  restored  to  men  upon  the  earth  in  the 
latter  days,  through  the  ministration  of  angels  from  God, 
who  came  with  authority  to  bestow  this  power  and  this 
priesthood  upon  men. 

I  say  that  the  priesthood  which  is  the  agency  of  our 
heavenly  Father  holds  the  keys  of  the  ministering  of  angels. 
What  is  a  key  ?  It  is  the  right  or  privilege  which  belongs 
to  and  comes  with  the  priesthood,  to  have  communication 
with  God.  Is  not  that  a  key  ?  Most  decidedly.  We  may 
not  enjoy  the  blessing,  or  key,  very  much,  but  the  key  is  in 
the  priesthood.  It  is  the  right  to  enjoy  the  blessing  of 
communication  with  the  heavens,  and  the  privilege  and 
authority  to  administer  in  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ,  to  preach  the  gospel  of  repentance,  and 
of  baptism  by  immersion  for  the  remission  of  sins. 
That  is  a  key.  You  who  hold  the  priesthood  have 
the  key  or  the  authority,  the  right,  the  power  or  privilege 
to  preach  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  is  the  gospel  of 
repentance  and  of  baptism  by  immersion  for  the  remission 
of  sins — a  mighty  important  thing,  I  tell  you.  There  isn't 
a  minister  of  any  church  upon  all  of  God's  footstool  today, 
so  far  as  we  know,  except  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints,  who  has  the  keys  or  the  authority  to 
enjoy  the  ministration  of  angels.  There  isn't  one  of  them 
that  possesses  that  priesthood.  But  here  we  ordain  boys 
who  are  scarcely  in  their  teens,  some  of  them,  to  that  priest- 
hood which  holds  the  keys  of  the  ministering  of  angels  and 
of  the  gospel  of  repentance  and  baptism  by  immersion  for 
the  remission  of  sins.  There  is  not  a  minister  anywhere  else  in 
the  world,  I  repeat,  who  possesses  these  keys,  or  this  priest- 
hood or  power,  or  that  right.  Why  ?  Because  they  have  not 
received  the  gospel,  nor  have  they  received  that  priesthood 


PRIESTHOOD  177 

by  the  laying  on  of  hands  by  those  having  authority  to  con- 
fer it. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  14,  December,  1910,  p.  176. 

SANCTITY  OF  THE  ORDINANCES  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD. 
There  appears  to  be,  among  some  of  our  people,  an  inade- 
quate conception  of  the  sanctity  attending  certain  of  the  or- 
dinances of  the  Holy  Priesthood.  True,  the  ministrations  of 
those  in  authority  amongst  us  are  not  attended  with  the 
pomp  and  worldly  ceremony  that  characterize  the  procedure 
in  other  churches  so-called,  but  the  fact  that  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  is  in  possession  of  the 
priesthood  is  sufficient  to  make  any  and  every  ordinance  ad- 
ministered by  due  authority  within  the  Church  an  event  of 
supreme  importance.  In  performing  any  such  ordinance, 
the  one  who  officiates  speaks  and  acts,  not  of  himself  and 
of  his  personal  authority,  but  by  virtue  of  his  ordination  and 
appointment  as  a  representative  of  the  powers  of  heaven. 
We  do  not  set  apart  bishops  and  other  officers  in  the  Church, 
with  the  show  and  ceremony  of  a  gala  day,  as  do  certain 
sectarians,  nor  do  we  make  the  ordinance  of  baptism  a  spec- 
tacular display;  but  the  simplicity  of  the  order  established 
in  the  Church  of  Christ  ought  rather  to  add  to  than  take 
from  the  sacred  character  of  the  several  ordinances. 

An  illustration  of  the  fact  that  many  do  not  understand 
the  full  sanctity  of  certain  ordinances  is  found  in  the  desire 
some  evince  to  have  them  repeated.  Until  within  a  few  years, 
it  was  a  very  general  custom  in  the  Church  to  allow  a  repe- 
tition of  the  baptismal  right  to  adults  before  they  entered  the 
temples.  This  custom,  first  established  by  due  authority, 
and  for  good  cause  (see  Articles  of  Faith,  by  Talmage, 
144-148)  finally  came  to  be  regarded  by  many  members  of 
the  Church  as  essential,  and  indeed,  "re-baptism"  was  gen- 
erally looked  upon,  though  wrongly,  as  separate  and  dif- 
ferent from  the  first  ordinance  of  the  gospel — by  which  alone 
one  may  gain  entrance  to  the  Church  of  Christ.  But  the  most 
hurtful  feature  of  this  misunderstanding  was  the  disposi- 

13 


178  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

tion  of  some  to  look  upon  the  repeated  baptisms  as  a  sure 
means  of  securing  forgiveness  of  sins  from  time  to  time, 
and  this  might  easily  have  led  to  the  thought  that  one  may 
sin  with  comparative  impunity  if  he  were  baptized  at  fre- 
quent intervals.  This  condition  has  been  changed  in  the 
Church,  and  at  the  present  time  only  those  who,  having  been 
admitted  to  the  fold  of  Christ  by  baptism,  afterwards  stray 
therefrom,  or  are  disfellowshiped  or  excommunicated  by  due 
process  of  the  Church  courts,  are  considered  as  fit  subjects 
to  receive  a  repetition  of  the  initiatory  ordinance.  These 
remarks,  it  must  be  understood,  have  no  reference  to  the 
baptisms  and  other  ordinances  performed  in  the  temples. — 
Jn-rcmlc  Instructor,  Vol.  38,  p.  18,  Jan.,  1903. 

ON  CHURCH  GOVERNMENT.  We  are  governed  by  law 
because  we  love  one  another,  and  are  actuated  by  long-suf- 
fering and  charity,  and  good  will ;  and  our  whole  organiza- 
tion is  based  upon  the  idea  of  self-control;  the  principle  of 
give  and  take,  and  of  rather  being  willing  to  suffer  wrong 
than  to  do  wrong.  Our  message  is  peace  on  earth  and  good 
will  towards  men ;  love,  charity  and  forgiveness,  which 
should  actuate  all  associated  with  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints.  Ours  is  a  Church  where  law  is  dom- 
inant, but  the  law  is  the  law  of  love.  There  are  rules 
which  should  be  observed,  and  will  be  observed  if  we  have 
the  spirit  of  the  work  in  our  hearts ;  and  if  we  have  not  the 
spirit  with  us,  we  have  only  the  form  of  godliness  which  is 
without  strength.  It  is  the  Spirit  which  leads  us  to  the  per- 
formance of  our  duties.  There  are  many  who  know  this 
gospel  to  be  true,  but  have  not  the  least  particle  of  the 
Spirit,  and  therefore  are  found  arrayed  against  it,  and  take 
no  part  with  the  people,  simply  because  they  have  not  the 
Spirit. 

The  priesthood  after  the  order  of  the  Son  of  God  is  the 
ruling,  presiding  authority  in  the  Church.  It  is  divided  into 
its  various  parts — the  Melchizedek  and  the  Aaroriic — and 


PRIESTHOOD  179 

all  the  quorums  or  councils  are  organized  in  the  Church, 
each  with  special  duties  and  special  callings ;  not  clashing 
with  each  other,  but  all  harmonious  and  united.  In  other 
words,  there  is  no  government  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
separate  and  apart,  above,  or  outside  of  the  holy  priesthood 
or  its  authority.  We  have  our  Relief  Societies,  Mutual 
Improvement  Associations,  Primary  Associations  and  Sun- 
day Schools,  and  we  may  organize,  if  we  choose,  associations 
for  self-protection  and  self-help  among  ourselves,  not  sub- 
ject to  our  enemies,  but  for  our  good  and  the  good  of  our 
people,  but  these  organizations  are  not  quorums  or  councils 
of  the  priesthood,  but  are  auxiliary  to,  and  under  it ;  organ- 
ized by  virtue  of  the  holy  priesthood.  They  are  not  outside 
of,  nor  above  it,  nor  beyond  its  reach.  They  acknowledge 
the  principle  of  the  priesthood.  Wherever  they  are  they 
always  exist  with  the  view  of  accomplishing  some  good ; 
some  soul's  salvation,  temporal  or  spiritual. 

When  we  have  a  Relief  Society,  it  is  thus  organized. 
It  has  its  president  and  other  officers,  for  the  complete  and 
perfect  accomplishment  of  the  purposes  of  its  organization. 
When  it  meets,  it  proceeds  as  an  independent  organization, 
always  mindful  of  the  fact  it  is  such,  by  virtue  of  the  author- 
ity of  the  holy  priesthood  which  God  has  instituted.  If  the 
president  of  the  stake  comes  into  a  meeting  of  the  Relief 
Society,  the  sisters,  through  their  president,  would  at  once 
pay  deference  to  him,  would  consult  and  advise  with  him, 
and  receive  directions  from  the  presiding  head.  That  head 
is  the  bishop  of  the  ward,  the  president  in  the  stake,  the 
presidency  of  the  Church,  in  all  the  Church.  The  Young 
Ladies'  and  Young  Men's  Associations,  the  Primary  Associ- 
ations and  the  Sunday  Schools  are  the  same.  All  are  under 
the  same  head,  and  the  same  rules  apply  to  each. 

When  the  Young  Men's  and  Young  Ladies'  Associa- 
tions meet  saparately,  they  each  have  presiding  officers  and 
they  take  charge  and'  conduct  the  business.  If  the  bishop 


180  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

comes  in  to  either  the  Young  Men's  or  Young  Ladies'  As- 
sociation, due  deference  is  paid  him.  But  in  joint  association 
of  the  Young  Men's  and  Young  Ladies'  officers,  there  are 
the  two  organizations ;  the  two  boards  are  represented.  Who 
shall  take  the  initiative?  Who  shall  exercise  the  presiding 
function?  Is  the  sister  to  take  the  initiative  and  exercise  the 
presiding  function  ?  Why,  no !  not  so,  because  that  is  not  in 
accordance  with  the  order  of  the  priesthood.  If  the  Young 
Men's  officers  are  there,  they  hold  the  priesthood,  and  it  is 
their  place  to  take  the  initiative.  If  I  were  the  president  of 
a  Young  Ladies'  Association,  and  we  met  in  joint  meeting, 
I  should  expect  the  president  of  the  Young  Men's  Associa- 
tion to  take  the  initial  step,  that  he  would  call  the  meeting  to 
order,  etc.,  because  he  holds  the  priesthood,  and  should  be 
the  head ;  then  he  should  not  forget  that  the  Young  Ladies 
have  an  organization,  and  are  entitled  to  perfect  and  com- 
plete representation  in  the  conjoint  meetings,  and  under  the 
priesthood  should  be  given  charge  at  least  half  the  time.  If 
he  is  not  in  his  place,  then  let  the  young  lady  preside  as  she 
would  in  her  own  meeting.  The  ladies  should  not  be  dis- 
criminated against,  but  should  have  equal  chances.  There 
should  be  no  curtailment  nor  abridgment  of  these  rights, 
but  every  opportunity  for  their  exercise  should  be  given. 
Gallantry  would  naturally  prompt  the  young  men  to  give 
even  more,  maybe,  than  they  take  themselves,  but  they 
should  direct  in  all  these  matters,  in  the  spirit  of  love  and 
kindness. 

There  never  can  be  and  never  will  be,  under  God's  di- 
rection, two  equal  heads  at  the  same  time.  That  would  not 
be  consistent ;  it  would  be  irrational  and  unreasonable ;  con- 
trary to  God's  will.  There  is  one  head,  and  he  is  God,  the 
head  of  all.  Next  to  him  stands  the  man  he  puts  in  nom- 
ination to  stand  at  the  head  on  the  earth,  with  his  associates ; 
and  all  the  other  organizations  and  heads,  from  him  to  the 


PRIESTHOOD  181 

last,  are  subordinate  to  the  first,  otherwise  there  would 
be  discord,  disunion  and  disorganization. 

I  am  tenacious  that  all  should  learn  the  right  and  power 
of  the  priesthood,  and  recognize  it;  and  if  they  do  it,  they 
will  not  go  far  astray.  It  is  wrong  to  sit  in  judgment  upon 
the  presiding  officers.  Suppose  a  bishop  does  wrong,  are  we 
to  run  away  to  everyone  and  backbite  and  slander  him,  and 
tell  all  we  know  or  think  we  know,  in  relation  to  the  mat- 
ter and  spread  it  about?  Is  that  the  way  for  Saints  to  do? 
If  we  do  so  we  shall  breed  destruction  to  the  faith  of  the 
young,  and  others.  If  I  have  done  wrong,  you  should  come 
right  to  me  with  your  complaint,  tell  me  what  you  know, 
and  not  say  one  word  to  any  other  soul  on  earth ;  but  let  us 
sit  down  together  as  brethren  and  make  the  matter  right; 
confess,  ask  forgiveness,  shake  hand's  and  be  at  peace.  Any 
other  course  than  this  will  create  a  nest  of  evil,  and  stir  up 
strife  among  the  Saints.' — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  6,  July, 
1903,  pp.  704-708. 

A  BLESSING  AND  AN  EXPLANATION  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD. 
The  Lord  bless  you.  From  the  depths  of  my  soul,  I  bless 
you ;  I  hold  the  right,  the  keys  and  the  authority  of  the  Patri- 
archal Priesthood  in  the  Church.  I  have  a  right  to  pronounce 
patriarchal  blessings,  because  I  hold  the  keys  and  authority 
to  do  it.  It  is  given  to  me  and  my  associates  to  ordain 
patriarchs  and  set  them  apart  to  give  blessings  to  the  people, 
to  comfort  them  by  promises  made  in  wisdom  and  the  in- 
spiration of  the  Spirit  of  God,  of  the  favor  and  mercies  of 
the  Lord  that  they  may  be  stronger  in  good  works,  and  their 
hopes  may  be  realized  and  their  faith  increased.  And  I  bless 
you,  my  brethren  and  sisters,  in  the  cause  of  Zion,  with  all 
my  soul  and  by  the  authority  of  the  priesthood  that  I  hold. 
I  hold  the  priesthood  of  the  apostleship,  I  hold  the  high 
priesthood  which  is  after  the  order  of  the  Son  of  God,  which 
is  at  the  foundation  of  all  priesthood  and  is  the  greatest 
of  all  priesthoods,  because  the  apostle  and  the  high  priest 


182  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

and  the  seventy  derive  their  authority  and  their  privileges 
from  the  priesthood  which  is  after  the  Son  of  God.  All  au- 
thority comes  out  of  that  high  priesthood. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1916, 
p.  7. 

THE  PRIVILEGE  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD  TO  BLESS.  We  have 
been  told  of  an  incident  which  occurred  a  few  weeks  ago, 
when  a  bishop's  counselor  (and  therefore  a  high  priest) 
from  a  remote  settlement,  while  visiting  Salt  Lake  City, 
refused  to  administer  to  his  sister's  child  who  was  danger- 
ously sick,  for  the  reason  that  he  was  outside  of  his  own 
ward. 

This  brother  must  have  had  a  misunderstanding  of  the 
authority  of  his  office,  or  he  was  over  diffident.  Whatever 
the  cause,  he  was  not  justified  in  his  refusal.  His  authority 
to  bless  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  was  not  confined  to  his 
ward ;  no  elder's  opportunity  for  doing  a  purely  good  deed 
should  be  confined  to  a  ward  or  any  other  limit,  and  when 
he  went  into  a  house  and  the  head  of  that  household  made 
such  a  request  of  him  it  was  clearly  not  only  his  privilege 
or  right,  but  his  duty  to  comply.  Indeed,  we  believe  that 
every  man  holding  the  priesthood,  in  good  standing  in  the 
Church,  who  owns  a  home,  is  supreme  in  his  own  household, 
and  when  another  brother  enters  it,  and  he  requests  the  lat- 
ter to  perform  any  duty  consistent  with  his  calling,  the  lat- 
ter should  accede  to  his  wishes ;  and  if  there  should  be  any- 
thing wrong,  he  who  makes  the  request  as  the  head  of  the 
house  into  which  the  brother  has  come,  is  responsible  there- 
for. If  that  head  of  a  household  asks  anything  to  be  done 
which  for  the  sake  of  Church  discipline,  or  to  fulfil  the  rev- 
elations of  the  Lord,  should  be  placed  on  the  records  of  the 
Church,  he  should  see  to  it  that  the  necessary  details  are 
supplied  and  recorded. 

We  further  believe  that  the  rights  of  fatherhood  in  all 
faithful,  worthy  men  are  paramount,  and  should  be  recog- 
nized by  all  other  men  holding  positions  or  callings  in  the 


PRIESTHOOD  183 

priesthood.  To  make  this  idea  plainer  we  will  say,  as  an  ex- 
ample of  our  idea,  we  do  not  consider  it  proper  in  a  bishop 
or  other  officer  to  suggest  that  the  son  of  such  a  man  (the 
son  himself  not  being  the  head  of  a  family,  but  living  with 
his  father)  be  called  upon  a  mission  without  first  consulting 
the  father.  The  priesthood  was  originally  exercised  in  the 
patriarchal  order ;  those  who  held  it  exercised'  their  powers 
firstly  by  right  of  their  fatherhood'.  It  is  so  with  the  great 
Eloheim.  This  first  and  strongest  claim  on  our  love,  rev- 
erence and  obedience  is  based  on  the  fact  that  he  is  the 
Father,  the  Creator,  of  all  mankind.  Without  him  we  are 
not,  and  consequently  we  owe  to  him  existence  and  all  that 
flows  therefrom — all  we  have  and  all  that  we  are.  Man  pos- 
sessing the  holy  priesthood  is  typical  of  him.  But  as  men 
on  earth  cannot  act  in  God's  stead  as  his  representatives 
without  the  authority,  appointment  and  ordination  naturally 
follow.  No  man  has  the  right  to  take  this  honor  to  himself, 
except  he  be  called  of  God  through  the  channels  that  he 
recognizes  and  has  empowered. 

Returning  to  the  thought  expressed  in  our  opening 
paragraph,  we  recognize  that  there  is  a  side  to  the  question 
that  must  not  be  lost  sight  of,  as  to  ignore  that  view  would 
be  to  encourage  a  condition  in  the  midst  of  the  Saints  preg- 
nant with  confusion.  We  have  found  occasionally  that  men 
blessed  with  some  peculiar  gift  of  the  spirit  have  exercised 
it  in  an  unwise — shall  we  say,  improper  manner.  For  in- 
stance: brethren  strongly  gifted  with  the  power  of  healing 
have  visited  far  and  near  amongst  the  Saints  (to  the  neg- 
lect sometimes  of  other  duties),  until  it  has  almost  become 
a  business  with  them,  and  their  visits  to  the  homes  of  the 
Saints  have  assumed  somewhat  the  character  of  those  of  a 
physician,  and  the  people  have  come  to  regard  the  power  so 
manifested  as  if  coming  from  man,  and  he  himself  has  some- 
times grown  to  so  feel,  and  not  that  he  was  simply  an  instru- 
ment in  the  hands  of  God  of  bringing  blessings  to  their 


184  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

house.  This  view  is  exceedingly  unfortunate,  when  indulged 
in,  and  is  apt  to  result  in  the  displeasure  of  the  Lord.  It  has 
sometimes  ended  in  the  brother  possessing  this  gift,  if  he 
encouraged  such  a  feeling,  losing  his  power  to  bless  and 
heal.  Departures  from  the  recognized  order  and  discipline 
of  the  Church  should  therefore  be  discountenanced  and  dis- 
couraged.— Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  37,  pp.  50,  51,  Jan.  15, 
1902. 

THE  PRIESTHOOD  GREATER  THAN  ANY  OF  ITS  OFFICES. 
There  is  no  office  growing  out  of  this  priesthood  that 
is  or  can  be  greater  than  the  priesthood  itself.  It  is  from 
the  priesthood  that  the  office  derives  its  authority  and  power. 
No  office  gives  authority  to  the  priesthood.  No  office 
adds  to  the  power  of  the  priesthood.  But  all  offices  in 
the  Church  derive  their  power,  their  virtue,  their  author- 
ity, from  the  priesthood.  If  our  brethren  would  get  this 
principle  thoroughly  established  in  their  minds,  there  would 
be  less  misunderstanding  in  relation  to  the  functions  of  gov- 
ernment in  the  Church  than  there  is.  Today  the  question  is, 
which  is  the  greater — the  high  priest  or  the  seventy — the 
seventy  or  the  high  priest  ?  I  tell  you  that  neither  of.  them 
is  the  greater,  and  neither  of  them  is  the  lesser.  Their  call- 
ings lie  in  different  directions,  but  they  are  from  the  same 
Priesthood.  If  it  were  necessary,  the  seventy,  holding  the 
Melchizedek  Priesthood,  as  he  does,  I  say  if  it  were  neces- 
sary, he  could  ordain  a  high  priest ;  and  if  it  were  necessary 
for  a  high  priest  to  ordain  a  seventy,  he  could  do  that.  Why  ? 
Because  both  of  them  hold  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood. 
Then  again,  if  it  were  necessary,  though  I  do  not  expect 
the  necessity  will  ever  arise,  and  there  was  no  man  left  on 
earth  holding  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood,  except  an  elder — 
that  elder,  by  the  inspiration  of  the  Spirit  of  God  and  by 
the  direction  of  the  Almighty,  could'  proceed,  and  should 
proceed,  to  organize  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  in  all  its 
perfection,  because  he  holds  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood. 


PRIESTHOOD  185 

But  the  house  of  God  is  a  house  of  order,  and  while  the 
other  officers  remain  in  the  Church,  we  must  observe  the 
order  of  the  priesthood,  and  we  must  perform  ordinances 
and  ordinations  strictly  in  accordance  with  that  order,  as  it 
has  been  established  in  the  Church  through  the  instrumen- 
tality of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  and  his  successors. — 
Oct.  C.  R.,  1903,  p.  87. 

NECESSITY  OF  ORGANIZATION.  The  house  of  God  is  a 
house  of  order,  and  not  a  house  of  confusion ;  and  it  could 
not  be  thus,  if  there  were  not  those  who  had  authority  to 
preside,  to  direct,  to  counsel,  to  lead  in  the  affairs  of  the 
Church.  No  house  would  be  a  house  of  order  if  it  were  not 
properly  organized,  as  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints  is  organized.  Take  away  the  organization  of  the 
Church  and  its  power  would  cease.  Every  part  of  its  or- 
ganization is  necessary  and  essential  to  its  perfect  existence. 
Disregard,  ignore,  or  omit  any  part,  and  you  start  imper- 
fection in  the  Church ;  and  if  we  should  continue  in  that  way 
we  would  find  ourselves  like  those  of  old,  being  led  by  error, 
superstition,  ignorance,  and  by  the  cunning  and  craftiness 
of  men.  We  would  soon  leaVe  out  here  a  little  and  there  a 
little,  here  a  line  and  there  a  precept,  until  we  would  become 
like  the  rest  of  the  world,  divided,  disorganized,  confused 
and  without  knowledge ;  without  revelation  or  inspiration, 
and  without  Divine  authority  or  power. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1915, 
p.  5. 

ACCEPTANCE  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD  A  SERIOUS  MATTER. 
This  makes  a  very  serious  matter  of  receiving  this  covenant 
and  this  priesthood ;  for  those  who  receive  it  must,  like  God 
himself,  abide  in  it,  and  must  not  fail,  and  must  not  be 
moved  out  of  the  way ;  for  those  who  receive  this  oath  and 
covenant  and  turn  away  from  it,  and  cease  to  do  righteous- 
ly and  to  honor  this  covenant,  and  will  to  abide  in  sin,  and 
repent  not,  there  is  no  forgiveness  for  them,  either  in  this 
life  or  in  the  world  to  come.  That  is  the  language  of  this 


186  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

book,  and  this  is  doctrine  and  truth  which  was  revealed  from 
God  to  men  through  the  instrumentality  of  Joseph  Smith 
the  prophet.  And  this  word  is  reliable.  It  is  God's  word, 
and  God's  word  is  truth ;  and  it  becomes  necessary  for  all 
those  who  enter  into  this  covenant  to  understand  this  word, 
that  they  may  indeed  abide  in  it,  and  may  not  be  turned  out 
of  the  way.— Apr.  C.  R.t  1898,  p.  65.  See  Doc.  and  Cov. 
84:33-41;  Book  of  Mormon, •  Mosiah  5. 

How  AUTHORITY  SHOULD  BE  ADMINISTERED.  No  man 
should  be  oppressed.  No  authority  of  the  priesthood  can  be 
administered  or  exerted  in  any  degree  of  unrighteousness, 
without  offending  God.  Therefore,  when  we  deal  with  men 
we  should  not  deal  with  them  with  prejudice  in  our  minds 
against  them.  We  should  dismiss  prejudice,  dispel  anger 
from  our  hearts,  and  when  we  try  our  brethren  for  mem- 
bership or  fellowship  in  the  Church,  we  should  do  it  dispas- 
sionately, charitably,  lovingly,  kindly,  with  a  view  to  save 
and  not  to  destroy.  That  is  our  business ;  our  business  is  to 
save  the  world,  to  save  mankind;  to  bring  them  into  har- 
mony with  the  laws  of  God  and  with  principles  of  righteous- 
ness and  of  justice  and  truth,  that  they  may  be  saved  in  the 
Kingdom  of  our  God,  and  become  eventually,  through  obe- 
dience to  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel,  heirs  of  God  and  joint 
heirs  with  Jesus  Christ.  That  is  our  mission. — Apr.  C.  R., 
1913,  p.  6. 

AUTHORITY  GIVES  ENDURING  POWER.  The  Church  has 
two  characteristics — the  temporal  and  the  spiritual,  and  one 
is  not  without  the  other.  We  maintain  that  both  are  essen- 
tial and  that  one  without  the  other  is  incomplete  and  inef- 
tertual.  Hence,  the  Lord  instituted  in  the  government  of 
the  Church  two  priesthoods — the  lesser  or  Aaronic,  having 
special  charge  of  the  temporal,  and  the  higher  or  Melchiz- 
edek,  looking  to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  people.  In  all 
the  history  of  the  Church,  there  has  never  been  a  time  when 
considerable  attention  was  not  given  to  temporal  affairs,  in 


PRIESTHOOD  187 

the  gathering  places  of- the  Saints,  under  all  the  leaders  up 
to  the  present  time,  as  witness  the  building  of  Kirtland,  the 
settlement  of  Missouri,  Nauvoo,  and  the  founding  of  cities 
and  towns  in  the  far  west,  our  present  home.  The  Saints 
have  lived  and  helped  each  other  to  live,  have  worked  out 
their  temporal  salvation  with  zeal  and  energy,  but  withal, 
have  neither  neglected  nor  forgotten  the  spiritual  essence 
of  the  great  work  inaugurated  by  divine  order,  as  witness 
their  temples,  and  other  houses  of  worship,  that  have  marked 
their  every  abiding  place. 

And  so,  while  we  have  devoted  much  time  to  temporal 
affairs,  it  has  always  been  with  a  view  to  better  our  spiritual 
condition,  it  being  apparent  that  the  temporal,  rightly  un- 
derstood, is  a  great  lever  by  which  spiritual  progress  may  be 
achieved  in  this  earthly  sphere  of  action.  Besides,  we 
have  come  to  understand  that  all  we  do  is  indeed  spiritual, 
for  before  the  Father  there  is  no  temporal.  Hence  in  our 
labors  of  redeeming  the  waste  places,  a  strong  spiritual  vein 
underlies  the  outward  temporal  covering. — Improvement 
Era,  Vol.  8,  pp.  620,  623,  1904-5. 

MINISTRY  SHOULD  KNOW  ITS  DTJTIES  AND  THE  USE 
OF  AUTHORITY.     Of  course  it  is  very  necessary  that  those 
who  preside  in  the  Church,  should  learn  thoroughly  their 
duties.    There  is  not  a  man  holding  any  position  of  author- 
ity in  the  Church  who  can  perform  his  duty  as  he  should 
in  any  other  spirit  than  in  the  spirit  of  fatherhood  and  broth- 
erhood toward  those  over  whom  he  presides.     Those  who 
have   authority   should   not   be   rulers,   nor   dictators;   they 
should  not  be  arbitrary;  they  should  gain  the  hearts,  the 
confidence  and  the  love  of  those  over  whom  they  preside,  by 
kindness   and  love   unfeigned,   by  gentleness  of  spirit/ by 
persuasion,  by  an  example  that  is  above  reproach  and  above 
the  reach  of  unjust  criticism.    In  this  way,  in  the  kindness 
of  their  hearts,  in  their  love  for  their  people,  they  lead  them 
in  the  path  of  righteousness,  and  teach  them  the  way  of  sal- 


188  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

vation,  by  saying  to  them  both  by  precept  and  example: 
Follow  me,  as  I  follow  our  head.  This  is  the  duty  of  those 
who  preside.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1915,  p.  5. 

How  OFFICERS  IN  THE  CHURCH  ARE  CHOSEN  :  A  WORD 
TO  BISHOPS.  They  are  faithful  men  chosen  by  inspiration. 
The  Lord  has  given  us  the  way  to  do  these  things.  He  has 
revealed  to  us  that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  presiding  authorities 
to  appoint  and  call ;  and  then  those  whom  they  choose  for 
any  official  position  in  the  Church  shall  be  presented  to  the 
body.  If  the  body  reject  them,  they  are  responsible  for  that 
rejection.  They  have  the  right  to  reject,  if  they  will,  or  to 
receive  them  and  sustain  them  by  their  faith  and  prayers. 
That  is  strictly  in  accordance  with  the  rule  laid  down  of  the 
Lord.  If  any  officer  in  the  Church  has  my  sympathy,  it  is 
the  bishop.  If  any  officer  in  the  Church  deserves  credit  for 
patience,  for  long-suffering,  kindness,  charity,  and  for  love 
unfeigned,  it  is  the  bishop  who  does  his  duty.  And  we  feel 
to  sustain  in  our  faith  and  love,  the  bishops  and  counselors 
in  Zion.  We  say  to  the  bishoprics  of  the  various  wards :  Be 
united ;  see  eye  to  eye,  even  if  you  have  to  go  down  on  your 
knees  before  the  Lord  and  humble  yourselves  until  your 
spirits  will  mingle  and  your  hearts  will  be  united  one  with 
the  other.  When  you  see  the  truth,  you  will  see  eye  to  eye, 
and  you  will  be  united.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1907,  p.  4. 

JURISDICTION  OF  QUORUMS  OF  PRIESTHOOD.  Now  then, 
we  have  our  high  priests'  quorums  or  councils,  and  we  have 
our  seventies'  councils  and  our  elders,  and  then  we  have  the 
councils  of  the  priests,  teachers  and  deacons  in  the  lesser 
Priesthood.  These  councils  each  and  all  in  their  organized  ca- 
pacity, have  jurisdiction  over  the  fellowship  of  the  members 
of  these  councils — if  the  member  is  an  elder,  or  if  a  man 
has  a  standing  in  the  seventies'  quorum,  or  in  the  high 
priests'  quorum,  and  he  is  misbehaving  himself,  shows  a  lack 
of  faith,  a  lack  of  reverence  for  the  position  he  holds  in  his 
council,  or  quorum,  his  fellowship  in  that  quorum  to  which 


PRIESTHOOD  189 

he  belongs,  or  his  standing  should  be  looked  after  or  in- 
quired into,  for  he  is  amenable  to  his  quorum  for  his  good 
standing  and  fellowship  in  it.  So  that  we  have  the  check 
that  the  Lord  has  placed  upon  members  of  the  Church,  and 
when  I  say  members  of  the  Church,  I  mean  me,  I  mean  the 
apostles,  I  mean  the  high  priests  and  the  seventies  and  elders. 
I  mean  everybody  who  is  a  member  of  the  Church. — Apr. 
C.  R.,  1913,  p.  6. 

JURISDICTION  IN  STAKES  AND  WARDS.  Now  again,  the 
bishoprics,  and  the  presidents  of  stakes,  have  exclusive  juris- 
diction over  the  membership  or  the  standing  of  men  and 
women  in  their  wards  and  in  their  stakes.  I  want  to  state 
that  pretty  plain — that  is  to  say,  it  is  not  my  duty,  it  is  not 
the  duty  of  the  seven  presidents  of  seventies,  nor  of  the  coun- 
cil of  the  twelve  apostles,  to  go  into  a  stake  of  Zion  and  try 
for  membership,  or  for  standing  in  the  Church,  any  member 
of  a  stake  or  ward.  We  have  no  business  to  do  it;  it  be- 
longs to  the  local  authorities,  and  they  have  ample  authority 
to  deal  with  the  membership  in  their  wards  and  in  their 
stakes.  The  bishops  may  try  an  elder  for  misconduct,  for 
unChristian-like  conduct,  for  apostasy,  or  for  wickedness 
of  any  kind  that  would  disqualify  him  for  membership  in 
the  Church,  and  they  may  pass  upon  him  their  judgment 
that  he  is  unworthy  of  fellowship  in  the  Church,  and  they 
may  withdraw  from  him  their  fellowship.  Then  they  may 
refer  his  case  to  the  presidency  and  high  council,  and  it  will 
be  the  duty  of  the  presidency  and  high  council  of  the  stake 
to  deal  with  him,  even  to  the  extent  of  excommunication 
from  the  Church ;  and  there  is  no  remedy  for  this,  only  the 
right  of  appeal  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Church.  If  there 
may  be,  perchance,  any  injustice  and  partiality,  lack  of  in- 
formation or  understanding  on  the  part  o*f  the  bishopric, 
which  may  not  be  corrected  and  therefore  might  be  per- 
petuated by  the  decision  of  the  high  council,  and  the  party 
aggrieved  does  not  feel  that  he  has  had  justice  dealt  out  to 


190  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

him,  he  then  has  a  right,  under  the  laws  of  the  Church,  to 
appeal  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Church,  but  not  otherwise. — 
Apr.  C.  R.,  1913,  p.  5. 

DUTIES  OF  THOSE  ENGAGED  IN  THE  MINISTRY.  I  need 
not  say  to  my  brethren  engaged  in  the  ministry  that  it  is  ex- 
pected of  them  that  one  and  all  will  attend  to  the  labors  and 
be  true  to  the  responsibilities  that  rest  upon  them  in  the  dis- 
charge of  their  duties  as  officers  in  the  Church.  We  expect 
that  the  presidencies  of  the  stakes  of  Zion  will  be  exemplars 
to  the  people.  We  expect  them  of  a  truth  to  be  fathers  unto 
those  over  whom  they  preside;  men  of  wisdom,  of  sound 
judgment,  impartial  and  just,  men  who  will  indeed  qualify 
themselves,  or  who  are  indeed  qualified  by  their  natural  en- 
dowments and  by  the  inspiration  from  God  which  it  is  their 
privilege  to  enjoy,  to  preside  in  righteousness  and  to  sit  in 
righteous  judgment  over  all  matters  brought  to  their  atten- 
tion, or  that  may  legitimately  belong  to  their  office  and  call- 
ing. We  anticipate  the  same  fidelity,  the  same  faithfulness, 
the  same  intelligent  administration  of  their  duties  from  the 
bishops  and  their  counselors,  and  indeed  upon  these  rest  per- 
haps the  greatest  possible  responsibility,  for  the  reason  that 
they  are  expected  by  their  presidencies  to  attend  to  the  vari- 
ous interests  and  needs  of  their  people.  It  is  expected  of  a 
bishop  to  know  all  the  people  in  his  ward,  not  only  those  who 
are  faithful  members  of  the  Church,  diligent  in  the  perform- 
ance of  their  duties  and  prominent  by  their  good  acts,  but  to 
know  those  who  are  cold  and  indifferent,  those  who  are  luke- 
warm, those  who  are  inclined  to  err  and  to  make  mistakes, 
and  not  only  these,  but  it  is  expected  that  the  bishops  through 
their  aides  in  their  wards,  will  become  acquainted,  not  only 
with  their  members,  male  and  female,  but  that  they  will 
know  also  the  stranger  that  is  within  their  gates  and  be  pre- 
pared to  minister  solace,  comfort,  good  counsel,  wisdom  and 
every  other  aid  possible  to  be  rendered  to  those  that  are 
in  need',  whether  they  are  of  the  household  of  faith  or  are 


PRIESTHOOD  191 

strangers  to  the  truth.  So  that  there  is  a  great  deal  ex- 
pected of  the  bishops  and  their  counselors  and  the  elders  and 
lesser  priesthood  in  their  wards  whom  they  call  to  their  aid 
in  administering  to  the  people  both  spiritually  and  tem- 
porally, and  I  want  to  remark  in  this  connection  that  it  is  the 
duty  of  these  bishops  and  of  the  presidencies  of  the  stakes  of 
Zion,  together  with  their  high  councils,  to  administer  justice 
and  right  judgment  to  every  member  of  their  wards  and  of 
their  stakes.  Included  in  this  are  the  high  priests  and  the 
seventies  and  the  elders  and  the  apostles  and  the  patriarchs 
and  the  presidency  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints.  No  man  who  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  or  who  has  a  standing  in 
the  Church  as  a  member,  is  exempt  from  his  responsibilities 
as  a  member  and  his  allegiance  to  the  bishop  of  the  wrard  in 
which  he  dwells.  I  am  as  much  bound  to  acknowledge  my 
bishop  as  a  member  of  the  ward  in  which  I  dwell,  as  the 
humblest  and  latest  member  of  the  Church.  No  man  who 
claims  to  be  a  member  of  the  Church  in  good  standing,  can 
ride  above  or  become  independent  of  the  authority  that  the 
Lord  Almighty  has  established  in  his  Church.  This  watch- 
care  of  the  people,  of  their  right  living,  of  their  fidelity  to 
their  covenants  and  to  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  belongs  to 
the  presidents  of  stakes  and  their  counselors  and  the  high 
councils,  or  members  of  the  high  council,  to  the  bishop  and 
his  counselors  and  the  teachers  of  his  ward. — Apr.  C.  R., 
1913,  p.  4. 

THE  PURPOSE  AND  THE  DUTY  OF  THE  CHURCH  :  QUAL- 
ITIES OF  LEADERS.  The  Lord  bless  you.  I  see  before  me 
the  leaders  of  the  Church,  the  presiding  spirits  in  the  capacity 
of  presidents  of  stakes,  counselors  to  presidents  of  stakes, 
high  councilors,  bishops  and  their  counselors,  and  those  who 
are  engaged  in  our  educational  institutions  and  in  other  re- 
sponsible positions  in  the  Church.  I  honor  you  all.  I  love 
you  for  your  integrity  to  the  cause  of  Zion.  It  is  the  king- 


192  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

dom  of  God  or  nothing,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned.  I  cut  no 
figure  personally  in  this  work,  and  I  am  nothing  except  in 
the  humble  effort  to  do  my  duty  as  the  Lord  gives  me  the 
ability  to  do  it.  But  it  is  the  kingdom  of  God.  What  I 
mean  by  the  kingdom  of  God  is  the  organization  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  of  which  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  king  and  the  head ;  not  as  an  organization  in 
any  wise  menacing  or  jeopardizing  the  liberties  or  rights  of 
the  people  throughout  the  world,  but  as  an  organization  cal- 
culated to  lift  up  and  ameliorate  the  condition  of  mankind ; 
to  make  bad  men  good,  if  it  is  possible  for  them  to  repent 
of  their  sins,  and  to  make  good  men  better.  That  is  the 
object  and  purpose  of  the  Church,  that  is  what  it  is  accom- 
plishing in  the  world.  And  it  is  very  strict  in  regard  to 
these  matters.  Drunkards,  whoremongers,  liars,  thieves, 
those  who  betray  the  confidence  of  their  fellowmen,  those 
who  are  unworthy  of  credence — such,  when  their  character 
becomes  known,  are  disfellowshiped  from  the  Church,  and 
are  not  permitted  to  have  a  standing  in  it,  if  we  know  it.  It 
is  true  that  there  are  none  of  us  but  have  our  imperfections 
and  shortcomings.  Perfection  dwells  not  with  mortal  man. 
We  all  have  our  weaknesses.  But  when  a  man  abandons 
the  truth,  virtue,  his  love  for  the  gospel  and  for  the  people 
of  God,  and  becomes  an  open,  avowed  enemy,  it  becomes 
the  duty  of  the  Church  to  sever  him  from  the  Church,  and 
the  Church  would  be  recreant  to  its  duty  if  it  did  not  sever 
him  from  communion,  cut  him  off,  and  let  him  go  where  he 
pleases.  We  would  do  wrong  if  we  hung  on  to  and  tried  to 
nurture  such  evil  creatures  in  our  midst,  no  matter  what  the 
relationship  may  be  that  exists  between  us  and  them.  There- 
fore, I  say  again,  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  stands  for 
virtue,  honor,  truth,  purity  of  life,  and  good  will  to  all 
mankind.  It  stands  for  God,  the  eternal  Father,  and  for 
Jesus  Christ,  whom  the  Father  sent  into  the  world,  and 
whom  to  know  is  life  eternal.  This  is  what  the  Church 


PRIESTHOOD  193 

stands  for,  and  it  cannot  tolerate  abomination,  crime  and 
wickedness,  on  the  part  of  those  who  may  claim  to  have  some 
connection  with  it.  We  must  sever  ourselves  from  them,  and 
let  them  go.  Not  that  we  want  to  hurt  them.  We  do  not 
want  to  hurt  anybody.  We  never  have,  and  we  do  not  intend 
to,  hurt  anybody.  But  we  do  not  intend  to  be  hurt  by  those 
who  are  seeking  our  destruction,  if  we  can  help  it.  It  is  our 
right  to  protect  ourselves. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1906,  pp.  7,  8. 

LEADERS  MUST  BE  COURAGEOUS.  One  of  the  highest 
qualities  of  all  true  leadership  is  a  high  standard  of  courage. 
When  we  speak  of  courage  and  leadership  we  are  using 
terms  that  stand  for  the  quality  of  life  by  which 
men  determine  conscientiously  the  proper  course  to  pur- 
sue and  stand  with  fidelity  to  their  convictions.  There 
has  never  been  a  time  in  the  Church  when  its  leaders  were 
not  required  to  be  courageous  men ;  not  alone  courageous 
in  the  sense  that  they  were  able  to  meet  physical  dangers, 
but  also  in  the  sense  that  they  were  steadfast  and  true  to  a 
clear  and  upright  conviction. 

Leaders  of  the  Church,  then,  should  be  men  not  easily 
discouraged,  not  without  hope,  and  not  given  to  forebodings 
of  all  sorts  of  evils  to  come.  Above  all  things  the  leaders 
of  the  people  should  never  disseminate  a  spirit  of  gloom  in 
the  hearts  of  the  people.  If  men  standing  in  high  places 
sometimes  feel  the  weight  and  anxiety  of  momentous  times, 
they  should  be  all  the  firmer  and  all  the  more  resolute  in 
those  convictions  which  come  from  a  God-fearing  conscience 
and  pure  lives.  Men  in  their  private  lives  should  feel  the 
necessity  of  extending  encouragement  to  the  people  by  their 
own  hopeful  and  cheerful  intercourse  with  them  as  they  do 
by  their  utterances  in  public  places.  It  is  a  matter  of  the 
greatest  importance  that  the  people  be  educated  to  appre- 
ciate and  cultivate  the  bright  side  of  life  rather  than  to  per- 
mit its  darkness  and  shadows  to  hover  over  them. 

In  order  to  successfully  overcome  anxieties  in  refer- 

14 


194  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

ence  to  questions  that  require  time  for  their  solution,  an  ab- 
solute faith  and  confidence  in  God  and  in  the  triumph  of  his 
work  are  essential. 

The  most  momentous  questions  and  the  greatest  dan- 
gers to  personal  happiness  are  not  always  met  and  solved 
within  oneself,  and  if  men  cannot  courageously  meet  the 
difficulties  and  obstacles  of  their  own  individual  lives  and 
natures,  how  are  they  to  meet  successfully  those  public  ques- 
tions in  which  the  welfare  and  happiness  of  the  public  are 
concerned.  Men,  then,  who  are  called  to  leadership  should 
be  alarmed  at  the  possession  of  a  disposition  filled  with  fore- 
bodings and  misgivings  and  doubts  and  constant  wonder- 
ments. Clouds,  threatening  storms,  frequently  rise  in  the 
horizon  of  life  and  pass  by  as  speedily  as  they  came,  so  the 
problems  and  difficulties  and  dangers  that  beset  us  are  not 
always  met  and  solved,  nor  overcome  by  our  individual  ef- 
fort nor  by  our  efforts  collectively. 

It  is  not  discreditable  to  a  man  to  say  "I  don't  know," 
to  questions  whose  solution  lies  wholly  within  some  divine 
purpose  whose  end  it  is  not  given  man  clearly  to  foresee.  It 
is,  however,  unfortunate  when  men  and  women  allow  such 
questions,  questions  which  time  and  patience  alone  can  solve, 
to  discourage  them  and  to  defeat  their  own  efforts  in  the 
accomplishment  of  their  chosen  lives  and  professions.  In 
leaders  undue  patience  and  a  gloomy  mind  are  almost  unpar- 
donable, and  it  sometimes  takes  almost  as  much  courage  to 
wait  as  to  act.  It  is  to  be  hoped  then  that  the  leaders  of 
God's  people,  and  the  people  themselves,  will  not  feel  that 
they  must  have  at  once  a  solution  of  every  question  that 
arises  to  disturb  the  even  tenor  of  their  way. — Juvenile  In- 
structor, Vol.  38,  p.  339,  1903. 

DUTIES  OF  OFFICERS  OF  THE  CHURCH.  The  Lord  here 
especially  demands  of  the  men  who  stand  at  the  head  of  this 
Church,  and  who  are  responsible  for  the  guidance  and  direc- 
tion of  the  people  of  God,  that  they  shall  see  to  it  that  the 


PRIESTHOOD  195 

law  of  God  is  kept.  It  is  our  duty  to  do  this. — Oct.  C.  R., 
1899,  p.  41. 

TRUTH  WILL  UNITE  Us :  WORDS  TO  CHURCH  OFFICERS. 
The  truth  will  never  divide  councils  of  the  priesthood.  It 
will  never  divide  presidents  from  their  counselors,  nor  coun- 
selors from  their  presidents,  nor  members  of  the  Church 
from  one  another,  nor  from  the  Church.  The  truth  will 
unite  us  and  cement  us  together.  It  will  make  us  strong, 
for  it  is  a  foundation  that  cannot  be  destroyed.  Therefore, 
when  bishops  and  their  counselors  do  not  see  eye  to  eye,  or 
when  presidents  and  their  counselors  have  any  difference 
whatever  in  their  sentiments  or  in  their  policy,  it  is  their 
duty  to  get  together,  to  go  before  the  Lord  together  and 
humble  themselves  before  him  until  they  get  revelation  from 
the  Lord  and  see  the  truth  alike,  that  they  may  go  before 
their  people  unitedly.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  presidents  of 
stakes  and  high  councilors  to  meet  often,  to  pray  together, 
to  counsel  together,  to  learn  each  other's  spirit,  to  under- 
stand each  other,  and  unite  together,  that  there  may  be  no 
dissension  nor  division  among  them.  The  same  with  the 
bishops  and  their  counselors.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the 
councils  of  the  priesthood  from  first  to  last.  Let  them  get 
together  and'  become  united  in  their  understanding  of  what 
is  right,  just  and  true,  and  then  go  as  one  man  to  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  purpose  they  have  in  view. — Apr.  C.  R., 
1907,  pp.  4,  5. 

OFFICERS  TO  SET  THE  EXAMPLE.  The  Lord  will  make 
a  record  also,  and  out  of  that  shall  the  whole  world  be 
judged.  And  you  men  of  the  holy  priesthood — you  apos- 
tles, presidents,  bishops,  and  high  priests  in  Zion — will  be 
called  upon  to  be  the  judges  of  the  people.  Therefore,  it  is 
expected  that  you  shall  set  the  standard  for  them  to  attain 
to,  and  see  that  they  shall  live  according  to  the  spirit  of  the 
gospel,  do  their  duty,  and  keep  the  commandments  of  the 
Lord.  You  shall  make  a  record  of  their  acts.  You  shall 


196  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

record  when  they  are  baptized,  when  they  are  confirmed, 
and  when  they  receive  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of 
hands.  You  shall  record  when  they  come  to  Zion,  their 
membership  in  the  Church.  You  shall  record  whether  they 
attend  to  their  duties  as  priests,  teachers  or  deacons,  as 
elders,  seventies  or  high  priests.  You  shall  write  their 
works,  as  the  Lord  says  here.  You  shall  record  their  tith- 
ings  and  give  them  credit  for  that  which  they  do;  and  the 
Lord  will  determine  the  difference  between  the  credit  which 
they  make  for  themselves  and  the  credit  which  they  should 
make.  The  Lord  will  judge  between  us  in  that  respect;  but 
we  shall  judge  the  people,  first  requiring  them  to  do  their 
duty.  In  order  to  do  that,  those  who  stand  at  the  head  must 
set  the  example.  They  must  walk  in  the  right  path,  and 
invite  the  people  to  follow  them.  They  should  not  seek  to 
drive  the  people ;  they  should  not  seek  to  become  rulers ;  but 
they  should  be  brethren  and  leaders  of  the  people. — Apr. 
C.  R.,  1901,  p.  72. 

DUTY  OF  THE  HOLY  PRIESTHOOD.  It  is  the  duty  of  this 
vast  body  of  men  holding  the  holy  priesthood,  which  is  after 
the  order  of  the  Son  of  God,  to  exert  their  influence  and  ex- 
ercise their  power  for  good  among  the  people  of  Israel  and 
the  people  of  the  world.  It  is  their  bounden  duty  to  preach 
anxl  to  work  righteousness,  both  at  home  and  abroad. — 
Oct.  C.  R.,  1901,  p.  83. 

How  TO  VOTE  ON  CHURCH  PROPOSITIONS.  We  desire 
that  the  brethren  and  sisters  will  all  feel  the  responsibility 
of  expressing  their  feelings  in  relation  to  the  propositions 
that  may  be  put  before  you.  We  do  not  want  any  man  or 
woman  who  is  a  member  of  the  Church  to  violate  their  con- 
science. Of  course,  we  are  not  asking  apostates  or  non- 
members  of  the  Church  to  vote  on  the  authorities  of  the 
Church.  We  only  ask  for  members  of  the  Church  in  good 
standing  to  vote  on  the  propositions  that  shall  be  put  be- 


PRIESTHOOD  197 

fore  you,  and  we  would  like  all  to  vote  as  they  feel,  whether 
for  or  against.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1902,  p.  83. 

ORDER  OF  VOTING  FOR  OFFICERS  OF  THE  CHURCH.  The 
Presidency  of  the  Church  will  first  express  their  mind,  thus 
indicating,  at  least  in  some  degree,  the  mind  of  the  Spirit 
and  the  suggestions  from  the  head.  Then  the  proposition 
will  be  submitted  to  the  apostles,  for  them  to  show  their 
willingness  or  otherwise  to  sustain  the  action  of  the  First 
Presidency.  It  will  then  go  to  the  patriarchs,  and  they  will 
have  the  privilege  of  showing  whether  they  will  sustain  the 
action  that  has  been  taken ;  then  to  the  presidents  of  stakes 
and  counselors  and  the  high  councilors;  then  to  the  high 
priests  (that  office  in  the  Melchizedek  priesthood  which 
holds  the  keys  of  presidency)  ;  next,  the  traveling  elders — 
the  seventies — will  be  called  to  express  their  feelings,  and 
then  the  bishoprics  of  the  Church  and  the  lesser  priesthood, 
and  after  them  the  whole  congregation.  All  the  members 
of  the  Church  present  will  have  the  privilege  of  expressing 
their  view  in  relation  to  the  matters  which  shall  be  pro- 
posed, by  a  rising  vote  and  by  the  uplifted  hand. — Oct.  C.  R., 
1901,  p.  73. 

OFFICERS  DEPENDENT  ON  VOICE  OF  PEOPLE.  It  is  well 
understood  that  we  meet  together  in  general  conference 
twice  a  year  for  the  purpose  of  presenting  the  names  of 
those  who  have  been  chosen  as  presiding  officers  in  the 
Church,  and  it  is  understood  that  those  who  occupy  these 
positions  are  dependent  upon  the  voice  of  the  people  for  the 
continuance  of  the  authority,  the  rights  and  privileges  they 
exercise.  The  female  members  of  this  Church  have  the  same 
privileges  of  voting  to  sustain  their  presiding  officers  as  the 
male  members  of  the  Church,  and  the  vote  of  a  sister  in  good 
standing  counts  in  every  way  equal  with  the  vote  of  a 
brother.— Apr.  C.  R.}  1904,  p.  73. 

NEARLY  ALL  MALE  MEMBERS  HOLD  THE  PRIESTHOOD; 
RESPONSIBILITY.  We  want  the  people  to  understand,  and 


198  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

we  would  like  the  world  to  understand,  the  great  fact  that  it- 
is  not  the  prominent  leaders  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints  that  wield  all  the  influence  among  the 
people  of  this  Church.  We  want  it  understood  that  we  have 
fewer  lay  members  in  this  Church,  in  proportion  to  the  num- 
ber of  our  membership,  than  you  will  find  in  any  other 
church  upon  the  globe.  Nearly  every  man  in  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  holds  the  Melchizedek  or 
the  Aaronic  Priesthood,  and  may  act  in  an  official  capacity 
by  authority  of  that  priesthood  whenever  called  upon  to  do 
so.  They  are  priests  and  kings,  if  you  please,  unto  God  in 
righteousness.  Out  of  this  vast  body  of  priests  we  call  and. 
ordain  or  set  apart  our  presidents  of  stakes,  our  counselors, 
our  high  councilors,  our  bishops  and  their  counselors,  our 
seventies,  our  high  priests,  and  our  elders,  upon  whom  rests 
the  responsibility  of  proclaiming  the  gospel  of  eternal  truth 
to  all  the  world,  and  upon  whom  also  rests  the  great  and 
glorious  responsibility  of  maintaining  the  dignity,  the  honor 
and  the  sacredness  of  that  calling  and  priesthood.  So  that 
nearly  every  male  person  in  the  Church,  who  has  reached  the 
years  of  accountability,  is  supposed  to  be,  in  his  sphere,  a 
pillar  in  Zion,  a  defender  of  the  faith,  an  exemplar,  a  man 
of  righteousness,  truth  and  soberness,  a  man  of  virtue  and 
of  honor,  a  good  citizen  of  the  state  in  which  he  lives,  and  a 
staunch  and  loyal  citizen  of  the  great  country  that  we  are 
proud  to  call  our  home. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1903,  p.  73. 

MANY  HOLD  THE  MELCHIZEDEK  PRIESTHOOD.  Although 
we  may  enjoy  a  little  advantage  over  the  rest  of  the  congre- 
gation, for  my  part  I  could  stay  here  a  week  longer  to  hear 
the  testimonies  of  my  brethren,  and  to  give  to  the  world 
an  opportunity  to  see  and  know  that  the  priesthood  in  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  is  not  confined 
to  one  man,  nor  to  three  men,  nor  to  fifteen  men,  but  that 
there  are  thousands  of  men  in  Zion  who  hold  the  Melchiz- 
edek Priesthood,  which  is  after  the  order  of  the  Son  of  God, 


PRIESTHOOD  199 

and  who  possess  keys  of  authority  and'  power  to  minister  for 
life  and  salvation  among  the  people  of  the  world.  I  would 
like  to  give  the  world  an  opportunity  to  see  what  we  are,  to 
hear  what  we  know,  and  to  understand  what  our  business  is, 
and  what  we  intend  to  do,  by  the  help  of  the  Lord. — Oct. 
C.  R.,  1903,  p.  73. 

PRIESTHOOD  QUORUMS'  RESPONSIBILITIES.  We  expect 
to  see  the  day,  if  we  live  long  enough  (and  if  some  of  us  do 
not  live  long  enough  to  see  it,  there  are  others  who  will), 
when  every  council  of  the  Priesthood  in  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  will  understand  its  duty;  will 
assume  its  own  responsibility,  will  magnify  its  calling,  and 
fill  its  place  in  the  Church,  to  the  uttermost,  according  to 
the  intelligence  and  ability  possessed  by  it.  When  that  day 
shall  come,  there  will  not  be  so  much  necessity  for  work  that 
is  now  being  done  by  the  auxiliary  organizations,  because  it 
will  be  done  by  the  regular  quorums  of  the  priesthood.  The 
Lord  designed  and'  comprehended  it  from  the  beginning,  and 
he  has  made  provision  in  the  Church  whereby  every  need 
may  be  met  and  satisfied  through  the  regular  organizations 
of  the  priesthood.  It  has  truly  been  said  that  the  Church  is 
perfectly  organized.  The  only  trouble  is  that  these  organi- 
zations are  not  fully  alive  to  the  obligations  that  rest  upon 
them.  When  they  become  thoroughly  awakened  to  the  re- 
quirements made  of  them,  they  will  fulfil  their  duties  more 
faithfully,  and  the  work  of  the  Lord  will  be  all  the  stronger 
and  more  powerful  and  influential  in  the  world. — Apr.  C.  R., 
1906,  p.  3. 

WHAT  is  PRIESTHOOD?  Honor  that  power  and  author- 
ity which  we  call  the  Holy  Priesthood,  which  is  after  the 
order  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  which  has  been  conferred 
upon  man  by  God  himself.  Honor  that  priesthood.  What 
is  that  priesthood?  It  is  nothing  more  and  nothing  less  than 
divine  authority  committed  unto  man  from  God.  That  is 
the  principle  that  we  should  honor.  We  hold  the  keys  of 


200  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

that  authority  and  priesthood  ourselves;  it  has  been  con- 
ferred upon  the  great  masses  of  the  Latter-day  Saints.  It 
has,  indeed,  I  may  say,  been  bestowed  upon  many  that  were 
not  worthy  to  receive  it  and  who  have  not  magnified  it,  and 
who  have  brought  disgrace  upon  themselves  and  upon  the 
priesthood  which  was  conferred  upon  them.  The  priesthood 
of  the  Son  of  God  cannot  be  exercised  in  any  degree  of  un- 
righteousness ;  neither  will  its  power,  its  virtue  and  author- 
ity abide  with  him  who  is  corrupt,  who  is  treacherous  in 
his  soul  toward  God  and  toward  his  fellowmen.  It  will  not 
abide  in  force  and  power  with  him  who  does  not  honor  it  in 
his  life  by  complying  with  the  requirements  of  heaven. — 
Apr.  C.  R.,  1904,  p.  3. 

WHERE  AND  How  COUNSEL  SHOULD  BE  SOUGHT.  The 
attention  of  the  young  men  in  the  Church  is  called  to  the 
need  of  conforming  to  the  order  of  the  Church  in  matters 
of  difficulty  that  may  arise  between  brethren,  and  members 
and  officers,  and  also  in  other  things  where  counsel  is  sought. 

The  youth  of  Zion  should  remember  that  the  founda- 
tion principle  in  settling  difficulties  lies  in  the  persons  them- 
selves who  are  in  difficulty  making  the  adjustments  and  set- 
tlements. If  those  who  vary  cannot  adjust  their  differences, 
it  is  infinitely  more  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  for  a  third  or 
fourth  party  to  create  harmony  between  them.  In  any  event, 
such  outside  parties  can  only  aid  the  contending  persons  to 
come  to  an  understanding. 

But,  in  case  it  is  necessary  to  call  in  the  priesthood  as  a 
third  party,  there  is  a  proper  order  in  which  this  should  be 
done.  If  no  conclusion  can  be  arrived  at,  in  a  difficulty  or 
difference  between  two  members  of  the  Church,  the  ward 
teachers  should  be  called  to  assist ;  failing  then,  appeal  may 
be  made  to  the  bishop,  then  to  the  high  council  of  the  stake, 
and  only  after  the  difficulty  has  been  tried  before  that  body 
should  the  matter  ever  come  before  the  general  presiding 


PRIESTHOOD  201 

quorum  of  the  Church.  It  is  wrong  to  disregard  any  of 
these  authorized  steps,  or  authorities. 

This  matter  is  generally  understood  in  cases  of  diffi- 
culty, but  does  not  seem  to  be  so  well  understood  in  what 
may  be  termed  smaller,  but  nevertheless  quite  as  weighty 
subjects.  We  often  find  instances  where  the  counsel  and 
advice  and  judgment  of  the  priesthood  next  in  order  is  en- 
tirely overlooked,  or  completely  disregarded.  Men  go  to 
the  president  of  the  stake  for  counsel  when  in  reality,  they 
should  consult  their  teachers  or  bishop;  and  often  come  to 
the  First  Presidency,  apostles  or  seventies,  when  the  presi- 
dent of  their  stake  has  never  been  spoken  to.  This  is  wrong, 
and  not  at  all  in  compliance  with  the  order  of  the  Church. 
The  priesthood  of  the  ward  should  never  be  overlooked  in 
any  case  where  the  stake  authorities  are  consulted;  nor 
should  the  stake  authorities  be  disregarded,  that  the  counsel 
of  the  general  authorities  may  be  obtained.  Such  a  course 
of  disregarding  the  proper  local  officers  is  neither  in  con- 
formity with  the  Church  instructions  and  organization,  nor 
conducive  to  good  order.  It  creates  confusion.  Every  of- 
ficer in  the  Church  has  been  placed  in  his  position  to  mag- 
nify the  same,  to  be  a  guardian  and  counselor  of  the  people. 
All  should  be  consutled  and  respected  in  their  positions,  and 
never  overlooked  in  their  places. 

In  this  way  only  can  prevail  that  harmony  and  unity 
which  are  characteristic  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  The  re- 
sponsibility also  of  this  great  work  is  thus  placed'  upon  the 
laboring  priesthood,  who  share  it  with  the  general  author- 
ities; and  thus  likewise,  the  perfection,  strength  and  power 
of  Church  organization  shine  forth  with  clearer  lustre. — 
Improvement  Era,  Vol.  5,  p  230;  Jan.,  1902. 

PARENTS  SHOULD  BE  CONSULTED.  One  of  the  first 
duties  that  a  young  man  owes  in  the  world  is  his  duty  to  his 
father  and  mother.  The  commandment  which  God  gave 
early  in  the  history  of  the  Israelites :  "Honor  thy  father  and 


202  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

thy  mother,"  was  accompanied  with  a  promise  that  holds 
good  to  this  day ;  namely :  "That  thy  days  may  be  long  upon 
the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee." 

With  obedience  naturally  comes  that  respect  and  con- 
sideration for  his  parents  that  should  characterize  a  noble 
youth.  They  stand  as  the  head  of  the  family,  the  patriarch, 
the  mother,  the  rulers;  and  no  child  should  fail  to  consult 
them  and  obtain  counsel  from  them  throughout  his  whole 
career  under  the  parental  roof. 

This  feeling  should  be  respected  by  the  Church.  Hence 
officers  who  desire  to  use  the  services  of  a  young  man  in  any 
capacity  for  the  business  of  the  Church,  should  not  fail  to 
consult  the  father  before  the  call  is  made.  We  have  in- 
stances where  young  men  have  even  been  called  to  fulfil  im- 
portant missions ;  their  names  having  been  suggested  to  the 
Church  by  bishops  of  wards,  or  by  presidents  of  quorums, 
without  the  father  having  been  consulted  whatever.  The 
parents  have  been  entirely  overlooked.  This  is  neither 
desirable  nor  right,  nor  is  it  in  conformity  with  the  order 
of  the  Church,  or  the  laws  that  God  instituted  from  the  early 
times.  The  Church  is  patriarchal  in  its  character  and  na- 
ture, and  it  is  highly  proper  and  right  that  the  head  of  the 
family,  the  father,  should  be  consulted  by  officers  in  all 
things  that  pertain  to  the  calling  of  his  children  to  any  of 
the  duties  in  the  Church.  No  one  understands  as  well  as 
the  father,  the  conditions  that  surround  the  family,  and 
what  fs  best  for  his  children;  his  wishes  should  therefore 
be  consulted  and  respected. 

Our  elders  would  justly  think  it  wrong  to  baptize  a 
wife  without  the  consent  of  her  husband,  and  children  with- 
out the  consent  of  the  parents.  So  also,  it  is  improper  for 
any  officer  in  the  Church  to  call  the  children  in  any  family, 
as  long  as  they  are  under  the  care  and  keeping  of  the  par- 
ents, to  receive  any  ordination,  or  to  perform  any  calling 
in  the  Church,  without  first  consulting  the  parents. 


PRIESTHOOD  203 

The  family  organization  lies  at  the  basis  of  all  true 
government,  and  too  much  stress  cannot  be  placed  upon  the 
importance  of  the  government  in  the  family  being  as  perfect 
as  possible,  nor  upon  the  fact  that  in  all  instances  respect 
therefor  should  be  upheld. 

Young  men  should  be  scrupulously  careful  to  impress 
upon  their  minds  the  necessity  of  consulting  with  father 
and  mother  in  all  that  pertains  to  their  actions  in  life.  Re- 
spect and  veneration  for  parents  should  be  inculcated  into 
the  hearts  of  the  young  people  of  the  Church — father  and 
mother  to  be  respected,  their  wishes  to  be  regarded — and 
in  the  heart  of  every  child  should  be  implanted  this  thought 
of  esteem  and  consideration  for  parents,  which  characterized 
the  families  of  the  ancient  patriarchs. 

God  is  at  the  head  of  the  human  race ;  we  look  up  to 
him  as  the  Father  of  all.  We  cannot  please  him  more  than 
by  regarding  and  respecting  and  honoring  our  fathers  and 
our  mothers,  who  are  the  means  of  our  existence  here  upon 
the  earth. 

I  desire,  therefore,  to  impress  upon  the  officers  of  the 
Church  the  necessity  of  consulting  fathers  in  all  things  that 
pertain  to  the  calling  of  their  sons  to  the  priesthood,  and  to 
the  labors  of  the  Church,  that  the  respect  and  veneration 
which  children  should  show  for  parents  may  not  be  disturbed 
by  the  Church,  nor  overstepped  by  its  officers.  In  this  way 
harmony  and  good  will  are  made  to  prevail ;  and  the  sanc- 
tion of  the  families  and  the  family  life,  on  which  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Church  is  based  and  perpetuated,  will  thus 
be  added  to  the  calls  of  the  holy  priesthood,  insuring  unity, 
strength  and  power  in  its  every  action. — Improvement  Era, 
Vol.  5,  p.  307 ;  Feb.,  1902. 

PROPER  USE  OF  TITLES  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD.  There  is 
also  another  point  in  this  connection  to  which  attention  may 
profitably  be  drawn.  It  is  the  too  frequent  use  in  the  ordin- 
ary conversation  of  the  Saints  of  the  titles  "Prophet,  Seer 


204  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

and  Revelator,"  "Apostle,"  etc.  These  titles  are  too  sacred 
to  be  used  indiscriminately  in  our  common  talk.  There  are 
occasions  when  they  are  quite  proper  and  in  place,  but  in  our 
every-day  conversations  it  is  sufficient  honor  to  address  any 
brother  holding  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood  as  elder.  The 
term  elder  is  a  general  one,  applying  to.  all  those  who  hold 
the  higher  priesthood,  whether  they  be  apostles,  patriarchs, 
high  priests  or  seventies ;  and  to  address  a  brother  as  Apostle 
So-and-So,  or  Patriarch  Such-a-One,  in  the  common  talk  of 
business,  and  the  like,  is  using  titles  too  sacred  to  be  in  place 
on  such  occasions.  It,  in  a  lesser  degree,  partakes  of  the 
character  of  that  evil  of  which  we  are  so  often  warned — the 
too  frequent  use  of  the  name  of  that  Holy  Being  whom  we 
worship,  and  of  his  Son,  our  Redeemer.  To  avoid  this  evil 
the  Saints  in  ancient  days  called  the  holy  priesthood  after 
the  great  high  priest  Melchizedek,  while  the  royal  and  cor- 
rect title  is,  "The  priesthood  after  the  order  of  the  Son  of 
God."  The  use  of  all  these  titles  continuously  and  indis- 
criminately savors  somewhat  of  blasphemy,  and  is  not  pleas- 
ing to  our  heavenly  Father. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  38, 
p.  20;  Jan.  1,  1903. 

ALL  OFFICERS  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD  NECESSARY  AND 
SHOULD  BE  RESPECTED.  I  believe  it  to  be  the  duty  of  the 
Church  to  recognize  and  acknowledge  every  man  that  holds 
an  official  position  in  it,  in  his  sphere  and  in  his  calling.  I 
hold  to  the  doctrine  that  the  duty  of  a  teacher  is  as  sacred 
as  the  duty  of  an  apostle,  in  the  sphere  in  which  he  is  called 
to  act,  and  that  every  member  of  the  Church  is  as  much  in 
duty  bound  to  honor  the  teacher  who  visits  him  in  his  home, 
as  he  is  to  honor  the  office  and  counsel  of  the  presiding  quo- 
rum of  the  Church.  They  all  have  the  priesthood ;  they  are 
all  acting  in  their  callings,  and  they  are  all  essential  in  their 
places,  because  the  Lord  has  appointed  them  and  set  them  in 
his  Church.  We  cannot  ignore  them ;  or,  if  we  do,  the  sin 
will  be  upon  our  heads.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1902,  p.  86. 


PRIESTHOOD  205 

CHECKS  UPON  CHURCH  MEMBERS.  I  say  that  when 
these  members  of  the  Church  are  in  error  or  doing  wrong, 
we  have  the  check  on  them  in  the  first  place  in  the  wards ; 
bishops  look  after  them ;  then  their  quorums  to  which  they 
belong  have  jurisdiction  and  they  are  required  to  look  after 
them,  too,  and  then  after  the  quorums  look  after  them  the 
presidencies  of  the  stakes  look  after  them  and  see  that  they 
are  helped ;  that  they  are  strengthened ;  that  they  are  ad- 
monished ;  that  they  are  warned,  and  that  they  are  applauded 
when  they  do  their  duties  and  keep  the  commandments  of 
the  Lord.  So  the  Lord  has  placed  a  great  many  checks  upon 
the  members  of  the  Church  with  a  view  to  teaching  them 
right  principles,  to  help  them  to  do  right,  to  live  right  and 
to  be  pure  and  clean  from  the  sins  of  the  world,  that  the 
body  of  the  Church  may  be  perfected,  that  it  may  be  free 
from  disease,  from  all  contagious  evils,  just  as  the  body  of 
the  man  Jesus  Christ  is  free  from  all  taint,  evil  and  sin.  So 
God  has  placed  these  safeguards  in  the  Church,  from  the 
deacons  to  the  apostles,  and  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Church, 
with  a  view  of  persuading  men  and  women  to  keep  them- 
selves pure  and  unspotted  from  the  world  and  to  help  them 
to  be  faithful  to  their  covenants  entered  into  with  one  an- 
other and  with  their  God.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1913,  pp.  6,  7. 

THE  PRIESTHOOD  SHOULD  KNOW  SECTION  107  OF  THE 
DOCTRINE  AND  COVENANTS.  I  now  say  to  the  brethren  of 
the  priesthood — the  high  priests,  the  seventies,  the  elders 
and  the  lesser  priesthood — magnify  your  callings ;  study  the 
scriptures ;  read  the  107th  section  of  the  Doctrine  and  Cove- 
nants on  priesthood;  learn  that  revelation,  which  was  given 
through  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  and  live  by  its  precepts 
and  doctrine,  and  you  will  gain  power  and  intelligence  to 
straighten  out  many  kinks  that  have  heretofore  existed  in 
your  minds,  and  to  clear  up  many  doubts  and  uncertainties 
in  relation  to  the  rights  of  the  priesthood.  God  gave  that 
word  to  us.  It  is  in  force  today  in  the  Church  and  in  the 


206  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

world,  and  it  contains  instruction  to  the  priesthood  and  the 
people  in  relation  to  their  duties,  which  every  elder  should 
know.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1902,  p.  88. 

WHO  is  FIT  TO  PRESIDE  ?  Every  man  should  be  willing 
to  be  presided  over ;  and  he  is  not  fit  to  preside  over  others 
until  he  can  submit  sufficiently  to  the  presidency  of  his  breth- 
ren.— Improvement  Era,  Vol.  31,  p.  105. 

OBLIGATIONS  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD.  Think  what  it  means 
to  hold  keys  of  authority  which — if  exercised  in  wisdom 
and  in  righteousness — are  bound  to  be  respected  by  the 
Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost !  Do  you  honor  this 
Priesthood?  Do  you  respect  the  office  and  honor  the  key 
of  authority  that  you  possess  in  the  Melchizedek  priesthood, 
which  is  after  the  order  of  the  Son  of  God  ?  Will  you,  who 
hold  this  priesthood,  profane  the  name  of  Deity?  Would 
you  be  riotous,  and  eat  and  drink  with  the  drunken,  with  the 
unbelieving  and  with  the  profane?  Would  you,  holding  that 
priesthood,  forget  your  prayers,  and  fail  to  remember  the 
Giver  of  all  good?  Would  you,  holding  that  priesthood, 
and  possessing  the  right  and  authority  from  God  to  admin- 
ister in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  violate  the  confidence  and  the  love  of  God,  the 
hope  and  desire  of  the  Father  of  all  of  us  ?  For,  in  bestow- 
ing that  key  and  blessing  upon  you,  he  desires  and  expects 
you  to  magnify  your  calling.  Would  you,  as  an  elder  in  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  dishonor  your  wife  or  your  children  ? 
Would  you  desert  the  mother  of  your  children,  the  wife  of 
your  bosom,  the  gift  of  God  to  you,  which  is  more  precious 
than  life  itself?  For  without  the  woman  the  man  is  not 
perfect  in  the  Lord,  no  more  than  the  woman  is  perfect  with- 
out the  man.  Will  you  honor  the  Sabbath  day  and  keep  it 
holy  ?  Will  you  observe  the  law  of  tithing  and  all  the  other  re- 
quirements of  the  gospel?  Will  you  carry  with  you  at  all 
times  the  spirit  of  prayer  and  the  desire  to  do  good?  Will 
you  teach  your  children  the  principles  of  life  and  salvation, 


PRIESTHOOD  207 

so  that  when  they  are  eight  years  old  they  will  desire  bap- 
tism, of  their  own  accord? — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  21,  De- 
cember, 1917,  pp.  105-6. 

How  HONOR  FOR  THOSE  WHO  BEAR  THE  PRIESTHOOD 
is  BEGOTTEN.  If  you  will  honor  the  holy  priesthood  in 
yourself  first,  you  will  honor  it  in  those  who  preside  over  you, 
and  in  those  who  administer  in  the  various  callings  through- 
out the  Church. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  21,  December, 
1917,  p.  106. 

PRIESTHOOD  MEMBERSHIP  ROLLS.  First. — Each  quorum 
should  have  one  roll  only,  and  every  person  holding  the 
Priesthood  should  be  enrolled  in  the  quorum  having  juris- 
diction in  the  ward  where  his  Church  membership  is  re- 
corded. The  practice  of  keeping  a  supplemental  or  inactive 
roll  is  not  approved. 

Second. — Recommends  from  one  quorum  to  another  are 
not  required.  The  present  arrangement  for  admitting  mem- 
bers in  the  quorum  is  already  published  as  follows : 

"The  certificate  of  ordination  should  be  carefully  pre- 
served by  the  person  ordained;  and;  whenever  necessary,  it 
should  be  presented  to  the  proper  authority  as  an  evidence 
of  his  ordination.  Upon  this  evidence  he  should  be  admit- 
ted to  membership  in  the  usual  manner  by  the  quorum  hav- 
ing jurisdiction  in  the  ward  or  stake  where  he  resides,  pro- 
vided he  has  been  accepted  as  a  member  of  the  ward.  If 
he  does  not  possess  a  certificate  of  ordination,  and  the  recom- 
mend upon  which  he  is  received  in  the  ward  names  his 
Priesthood  and  ordination,  it  should  be  accepted  as  evidence 
that  he  holds  that  office,  provided  there  is  no  evidence  to 
the  contrary,  and  provided  he  has  been  admitted  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  ward  in  full  fellowship." 

Third. — When  a  person  holding  the  Priesthood'  re- 
moves from  one  ward  to  another  and  is  accepted  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  ward  into  which  he  moves,  it  becomes  the  duty 
of  the  Ward  Clerk  to  notify  the  president  of  the  quorum 


208  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

of  the  arrival  of  this  person.  The  new  member  should  pre- 
sent his  certificate  of  ordination  as  evidence  that  he  holds  the 
Priesthood,  and  upon  that  certificate  he  should  be  presented 
for  admission  to  membership  in  the  quorum  to  which  mem- 
bers of  that  ward  holding  the  same  Priesthood  belong.  It  is 
the  duty  of  the  Ward  Clerk  to  report  at  the  next  ward 
weekly  Priesthood  meeting  the  arrival  of  any  person  hold- 
ing the  Priesthood,  and  every  such  newly  arrived  member 
should  be  enrolled  in  the  proper  class,  whether  he  has  at- 
tended a  class  meeting  or  not. 

Fourth. — When  a  member  holding  the  Priesthood  be- 
comes a  member  of  the  ward,  the  proper  quorum  officer  hav- 
ing jurisdiction  should  look  after  him  and  see  that  he  be- 
comes enrolled  in  the  quorum. 

Fifth. — It  is  the  duty  of  the  secretary  of  a  High  Priests' 
or  Elders'  quorum  to  prepare  certificates  of  ordination,  and 
to  have  them  signed  by  the  proper  officers,  presented  to  the 
Ward  Clerk  to  be  entered  upon  the  ward  record,  and  then 
delivered  to  the  persons  in  whose  favor  they  are  issued. 
Seventies'  quorums,  however,  do  not  issue  certificates  of 
ordination.  They  are  issued  by  the  First  Council  of  Seventy. 
Therefore,  Seventies'  quorums  should  not  be  provided  with 
certificates.  When  a  person  is  ordained  to  the  office  of  Sev- 
enty, requesting  a  certificate  of  ordination  to  be  mailed  or  de- 
livered to  the  quorum  officer,  and  after  it  has  been  entered 
on  the  quorum  record  and  the  ward  record,  it  should  be  de- 
livered to  the  person  in  whose  favor  it  is  issued. 

Sixth. — When  a  quorum  withdraws  its  fellowship  from 
one  of  its  members,  a  report  of  the  action  of  the  quorum 
should  be  sent  to  the  Bishop  of  the  ward. — Improvement 
Era,  Vol.  19,  pp.  752-753. 

ALL  SHOULD  EXERCISE  THEIR  AUTHORITY.  A  deacon 
in  the  Church  should  exercise  the  authority  of  that  calling 
in  the  priesthood,  and  honor  that  position  as  sincerely  and 
faithfully  as  a  high  priest  or  an  apostle  should  his  calling, 


PRIESTHOOD  209 

feeling  that  he  bears  a  portion  of  the  responsibility  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  in  the  world,  in  common  with  all  his  breth- 
ren. Every  man  should  feel  in  his  heart  the  necessity  of 
doing  his  part  in  the  great  latter-day  work.  All  should  seek 
to  be  instrumental  in  rolling  it  forth.  More  especially  is  it 
the  duty  of  every  one  who  possesses  any  portion  of  the  au- 
thority of  the  holy  priesthood  to  magnify  and  honor  that 
calling,  and  nowhere  can  we  begin  to  do  so  to  better  advan- 
tage than  right  here,  within  ourselves,  and  when  we  have 
cleaned  the  inside  of  the  platter,  cleansed  our  own  hearts, 
corrected  our  own  lives,  fixed  our  minds  upon  doing  our 
whole  duty  towards  God  and  man,  we  will  be  prepared  to 
wield  an  influence  for  good  in  the  family  circle,  in  society, 
and  in  all  the  walks  of  life. — Deseret  Weekly  News,  Vol. 
24,  p.  708. 

THE  LEADERS  OF  ISRAEL.  These  mighty  men  who  sit 
before  this  stand,  clothed  with  power  from  Almighty  God, 
are  not  self-called.  They  have  not  been  chosen  by  man. 
They  have  not  chosen  themselves,  but  they  have  been  called 
by  the  power  of  the  Almighty  to  stand  in  high  places  in  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  as  presidents, 
as  fathers  to  the  people,  as  counselors,  as  judges,  and  as 
leaders,  walking  in  the  way  that  the  people  of  God  should 
follow  them  into  all  truth  and  into  the  possession  of  greater 
light,  greater  power  and  wisdom  and  understanding.  God 
bless  you,  my  brethren.  And  while  you  stand  united,  as  you 
have  stood  in  the  past,  and  as  you  have  manifested  your 
union  here  during  this  conference,  so  God  will  magnify  you 
before  your  flocks  and  in  the  midst  of  your  people,  and  will 
increase  your  power  and  your  strength  to  do  good  and  to 
accomplish  his  purposes,  until  you  shall  be  satisfied  with 
your  labors  and  have  exceeding  great  joy  therein;  and  your 
people  will  rise  up  and  call  you  blessed,  they  will  pray  for 
you  and  sustain  you  by  their  faith  and  good  works. — Oct. 
C.  R.,  1905,  p.  94. 


15 


210  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

A  TESTIMONY  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH  AND  His  SUCCESSORS. 
I  bear  my  testimony  to  you  and  to  the  world,  that  Joseph 
Smith  was  raised  up  by  the  power  of  God  to  lay  the  founda- 
tions of  this  great  Latter-day  work,  to  reveal  the  fulness  of 
the  gospel  to  the  world  in  this  dispensation,  to  restore  the 
priesthood  of  God  to  the  world,  by  which  men  may  act  in  the 
name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  it  will  be  accepted  of  God;  it  will  be  by  his  authority. 
I  bear  my  testimony  to  it ;  I  know  that  it  is  true. 

I  bear  my  testimony  to  the  divine  authority  of  those  who 
have  succeeded  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  in  the  presidency 
of  this  Church.  They  were  men  of  God.  I  knew  them;  I 
was  intimately  associated  with  them  and  as  one  man  may 
know  another,  through  the  intimate  knowledge  that  he  pos- 
sesses of  him,  so  I  can  bear  testimony  to  the  integrity,  to 
the  honor,  to  the  purity  of  life,  to  the  intelligence,  and  to 
the  divinity  of  the  mission  and  calling  of  Brigham,  of  John, 
of  Wilford,  and  of  Lorenzo.  They  were  inspired  of  God  to 
fill  the  mission  to  which  they  were  called,  and  I  know  it.  I 
thank  God  for  that  testimony  and  for  the  Spirit  that 
prompts  me  and  impels  me  towards  these  men,  toward  their 
mission,  toward  this  people,  toward  my  God  and  my  Re- 
deemer. I  thank  the  Lord  for  it,  and  I  pray  earnestly  that 
it  may  never  depart*  from  me — worlds  without  end. — Oct. 
C.  R.,  1910,  pp.  4,  5. 

GOODNESS  OF  THE  LEADERS  OF  THE  CHURCH.  I  have 
served  from  my  youth  up  along  with  such  men  as  Brigham 
Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Willard  Richards,  George  A. 
Smith,  Jedediah  M.  Grant,  Daniel  H.  Wells,  John  Taylor, 
George  Q.  Cannon,  and  Wilford  Woodruff  and  his  associ- 
ates, and  Lorenzo  Snow  and  his  associates,  the  members 
of  the  twelve  apostlse,  the  seventies,  and  the  high  priests 
in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  for  more 
than  sixty  years ;  and,  that  my  word  may  be  heard  by  every 
stranger  within  the  sound  of  my  voice,  I  want  to  testify  to 


PRIESTHOOD  211 

you  that  better  men  than  these  have  never  lived,  within  the 
range  of  my  acquaintance.  I  can  so  testify  because  I  was 
familiar  with  these  men,  grew  up  from  babyhood  with  them, 
associated  with  them  in  council,  in  prayer  and  supplication, 
and  in  travel  from  settlement  to  settlement  through  our 
country  here,  and  in  crossing  the  plains.  I  have  heard  them 
in  private  and  in  public,  and  I  bear  my  testimony  to  you 
that  they  were  men  of  God,  true  men,  pure  men,  God's  noble 
men.  Virtuous  men,  who  never  were  either  tempted  to  do 
evil  or  tempted  others  to  do  wrong,  men  whose  examples  and 
whose  lives  were  above  reproach,  except  in  what  corrupt, 
wicked  or  ignorant  men  supposed  they  saw  and  presumed 
to  denounce  as  wrong  in  them. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1917,  p.  6. 

DIVINE  MISSIONS  OF  PRESIDENTS  OF  CHURCH.  I  testify 
to  you,  as  I  know  and  feel  that  I  live  and  move  and  have 
my  being,  that  the  Lord  raised  up  the  boy  prophet,  Joseph 
Smith,  and  endowed  him  with  divine  authority,  and  taught 
him  those  things  which  were  necessary  for  him  to  know  that 
he  might  have  power  to  lay  the  foundation  of  God's  Church 
and  kingdom  in  the  earth.  Joseph  Smith  was  true  to  the 
covenants  that  he  made  with  the  Lord,  true  to  his  mission, 
and  the  Lord  enabled  him  to  accomplish  his  work,  even  to 
the  sealing  of  his  testimony  with  his  shed  blood.  His  testi- 
mony is  now,  and  has  been,  in  force  among  the  children 
of  men  as  verily  as  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  is  in  force 
and  a  binding  testimony  upon  all  the  world,  and  it  has  been 
from  the  day  it  was  shed  until  now,  and  will  continue  until 
the  winding  up  scene. 

I  bear  my  testimony  to  you,  my  brethren  and  sisters,  of 
the  divinity  of  the  mission  and  work  that  was  accomplished 
by  President  Brigham  Young  and  his  associates  in  fleeing 
from  the  wrath  that  threatened  in  Illinois  and  Missouri  and 
other  places,  into  these  peaceful  vales,  which  was  done  by  the 
will  of  heaven  and  by  the  guiding  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
President  Young  and  the  pioneers  were  enabled  to  lay  the 


212  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

foundation  of  a  commonwealth,  the  equal  of  which  is  scarcely 
to  be  found  within  the  borders  of  our  glorious  land,  and  it 
was  done,  not  by  the  wisdom  of  Brother  Brigham,  nor  of 
Brother  Heber  C.  Kimball,  nor  of  any  of  their  associates, 
grand  men  as  they  were,  true  servants  of  the  living  God  as 
they  were,  faithful  and  true  to  their  callings,  grand  as  was 
their  integrity  to  the  cause  of  Zion — but  back  of  them,  be- 
hind them,  above  them  and  below,  and  all  around  them,  was 
the  power  of  God,  leading  and  directing  them,  and  thus  con- 
summating his  purposes  through  their  instrumentality.  We 
give  the  honor  to  our  Father  in  heaven,  and  we  also  honor 
and'  bless  the  names  of  those  great  and  good  men  whom  the 
Lord  chose  to  accomplish  his  purposes,  and  through  whom 
he  did  accomplish  his  purpose  without  failure. 

I  bear  my  testimony  to  the  integrity  of  John  Taylor 
as  one  of  the  purest  men  I  ever  knew  in  my  life,  a  man  clean 
from  head  to  foot,  clean  in  body  and  clean  in  spirit,  free  from 
every  vulgar  thing,  so  common  among  the  children  of  men. 
I  know  whereof  I  speak,  for  I  was  with  him  day  and  night, 
month  after  month,  and  year  after  year,  and  I  bear  my  tes- 
timony of  his  integrity.  He  was  a  martyr  with  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith.  He  suffered  more  than  death  with  Joseph 
and  Hyrum,  and  the  Lord  preserved  him  and  honored  him 
by  calling  him  to  take  charge  of  his  work  for  a  season  in  the 
earth,  thus  exalting  him  to  that  most  glorious  and  most  re- 
sponsible position  that  any  man  could  be  calkd  to  occupy  in 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 

I  bear  my  testimony  to  the  faithfulness  of  Wilford 
Woodruff,  a  man  in  whom  there  was  no  guile,  a  man  honest 
to  the  core,  a  man  susceptible  to  the  impressions  of  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord',  a  man  guided  by  inspiration  in  the  performance 
of  his  duty,  far  more  than  by  any  gift  of  wisdom  or  of  judg- 
ment that  he  himself  possessed. 

I  bear  my  testimony  to  the  work  that  was  accomplished 
by  President  Lorenzo  Snow,  although  it  was  brief,  yet  some 


PRIESTHOOD  213 

of  the  things  which  were  left  for  him  to  do  were  absolutely 
necessary  in  order  to  relieve  his  successor  and  others  that 
may  arise  in  time  to  come,  from  mistakes  and  errors  that 
had  crept  in  before. 

As  to  the  present  administration  of  the  gospel  and  of 
the  work  of  the  Lord  I  have  nothing  to  say.  Let  the  work 
speak  for  itself,  let  the  people  and  the  voice  of  the  people 
of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  say  what 
is  being  done  by  the  Lord,  let  it  not  be  said  by  me,  nor  by 
my  counselors  and  my  associates.  The  Lord  forbid  that  I 
should  ever  imagine  for  one  moment  that  we  are  of  any 
great  importance  in  this  great  work  of  the  Lord.  Others 
may  be  raised  up,  and  the  Lord  can  shape  their  minds.  He 
can  qualify  them  and  can  humble  them,  if  need  be,  to  fit 
them  for  the  duties  and  responsibilities  that  may  be  required 
at  their  hands.  I  believe  that  Zion  is  prospering,  and  that 
so  far  as  our  spiritual  life,  our  spiritual  growth,  and  our 
faith  are  concerned,  as  well  as  our  temporal  condition,  we 
are  prosperous,  and  all  is  well  in  Zion  today. — Oct.  C.  R.} 
1917. 

THE  PRESIDENTS  OF  THE  CHURCH  HAVE  BEEN  INSPIRED. 
I  knew  President  Brigham  Young,  and  I  bear  my  testimony 
to  the  world  that  not  only  was  Joseph  Smith  inspired  of 
God  and  raised  up  to  lay  the  foundations  of  this  great  latter- 
day  work,  but  Brigham  Young  was  raised  up  and  sustained 
by  the  power  of  Almighty  God  to  continue  the  mission 
of  Joseph  and  to  accomplish  the  work  that  he  laid  out  dur- 
ing his  lifetime.  I  have  been  connected  with  President 
John  Taylor,  and  I  testify  that  he  also  was  a  man  of  God. 
He  was  indeed  God's  mouthpiece.  He  was  a  martyr  with 
the  Prophet  Joseph,  for  his  blood  was  shed  with  Joseph's 
and  Hyrum's,  but  the  Lord  preserved  his  life,  that  he  might 
fulfil  the  mission  unto  which  he  was  called,  to  preside  over 
the  Church  for  a  season.  I  was  intimately  acquainted  with 
President  Wilford  Woodruff,  and  I  bear  testimony  to  the 


214  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

mission  of  that  gracious,  good  man.  I  have  also  been  more 
or  less  intimate  with  President  Snow,  and  I  bear  testimony 
that  his  work  was  of  God.— Oct.  C.  R.  (Special),  1901,  p.  96. 

WHEN  TO  ORGANIZE  THE  FIRST  PRESIDENCY.  After  the 
death  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  the  Twelve  Apostles 
continued  as  the  presiding  quorum  of  the  Church  for  a  num- 
ber of  years ;  but  finally  they  were  moved  upon  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  reorganize  the  First  Presidency  of  the  Church,  with 
Brigham  Young,  as  president,  and  Heber  C.  Kimball  and 
Willard  Richards  as  his  counselors.  In  reality  this  organiza- 
tion might  have  been  effected  within  twenty-four  hours  after 
the  death  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  but  their  action 
was  delayed,  until  they  found  by  experience  that  the  exercise 
of  the  functions  of  Presidency  and  the  government  of  the 
Church  by  twelve  men  at  the  head,  was  not  only  cumbersome 
but  was  not  fully  perfect  in  the  order  of  the  Holy  Priesthood 
as  established  by  the  Lord.  On  the  death  of  President  Brig- 
ham  Young,  President  John  Taylor  followed  in  some  meas- 
ure the  example  of  his  predecessor,  and  it  was  some  time 
before  the  Presidency  of  the  Church  was  organized.  The 
Presidency  was  finally  organized,  however,  with  John  Tay- 
lor as  President,  and  George  Q.  Cannon  and  myself  as  coun- 
selors. 

At  the  death  of  President  Taylor,  President  Woodruff 
hesitated,  and  he  allowed  a  little  time  to  pass  before  the 
Presidency  was  again  organized.  When  at  last  he  became 
convinced  that  it  was  his  duty,  and  necessary  in  order  to 
carry  out  the  purposes  of  the  Lord,  he  organized  the  Pres- 
idency of  the  Church.  At  that  time  he  gave  a  solemn  injunc- 
tion to  his  fellow  servants  in  relation  to  this.  He  desired  it 
understood  that  in  all  future  times,  when  the  President  of 
the  Church  should  die,  and  thereby  the  First  Presidency 
become  disorganized,  it  would  be  the  duty  of  the  proper 
authorities  of  the  Church  to  proceed  at  once,  without  any 
unnecessary  delay,  to  reorganize  the  First  Presidency. 


PRIESTHOOD  215 

As  soon  as  the  news  reached  us  of  the  death  of  Pres- 
ident Woodruff,  who  was  in  California  at  the  time,  Presi- 
dent Lorenzo  Snow  said  to  me,  "it  will  be  our  duty  to  pro- 
ceed as  soon  as  possible  to  reorganize  the  Presidency  of  the 
Church."  As  you  are  aware,  after  the  burial  of  the  re- 
mains of  President  Woodruff,  he  proceeded  at  once  to  do 
this.  In  this  connection  I  may  tell  you  another  thing.  Pres- 
ident Snow  said  to  me,  "you  will  live  to  be  the  President  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  and  when 
that  time  comes  you  should  proceed  at  once  and'  reorganize 
the  Presidency  of  the  Church."  This  was  his  counsel  to  me, 
and  the  same  was  given  to  the  Twelve  Apostles.  In  accord- 
ance with  the  principle  and  with  the  injunction  of  President 
Snow,  within  one  week  after  his  dea*th  the  apostles  pro- 
ceeded to  designate  .the  new  Presidency  of  the  Church  and 
we  did  it  strictly  in  accordance  with  the  pattern  that  the 
Lord  has  established  in  his  Church,  unanimously. 

I  desire  to  read  a  little  from  the  revelation  in  relation 
to  the  order  of  the  Holy  Priesthood,  that  you  may  under- 
stand our  views  concerning  adhering  as  nearly  as  we  can 
to  the  holy  order  of  government  that  has  been  established 
by  revelation  through  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  in  the  Dis- 
pensation of  the  Fulness  of  Times.  We  cannot  deny  the 
fact  that  the  Lord  has  effected  one  of  the  most  perfect  or- 
ganizations, in  this  Church,  that  ever  existed  upon  the  earth. 
I  do  not  know  of  any  more  perfect  organization  than  exists 
in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  today. 
We  have  not  always  carried  out  strictly  the  order  of  the 
Priesthood ;  we  have  varied  from  it  to  some  extent ;  but  we 
hope  in  due  time  that,  by  the  promptings  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
we  will  be  led  up  into  the  exact  channel  and  course  that  the 
Lord  has  marked  out  for  us  to  pursue,  and  adhere  strictly 
to  the  order  that  he  has  established.  I  will  read  from  a  rev- 
elation that  was  given  to  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  at 
Nauvoo,  Hancock  Co.,  Illinois,  January  19,  1841,  which 


216  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

stands  as  the  law  of  the  Church  in  relation  to  the  presenta- 
tions of  the  authorities  of  the  Holy  Priesthood  as  they  were 
established  in  the  Church,  and  from  which  I  feel  that  we 
have  no  right  to  depart.— Oct.  C.  R.  (Special),  1901,  pp. 
70,  71.  Doc.  and  Cov.  124:123-145. 

FIRST  PRESIDENCY  NOT  NECESSARILY  APOSTLES.  We 
have  the  council  of 'the  first  presidency  consisting  of  three 
presiding  high  priests  who  are  called  of  God  and  appointed 
to  preside  over  the  Church  and  over  the  priesthood  of  God, 
and  I  want  to  say  here  that  it  does  not  follow  and  never  has 
followed  that  the  members  of  the  first  presidency  of  the 
Church  are  necessarily  to  be  ordained  apostles.  They  hold 
by  virtue  of  their  rights  as  presidents  of  the  Church  all  the 
keys  and  all  the  authority  that  pertains  to  the  Melchizedek 
priesthood,  which  comprehends  and  comprises  all  of  the  ap- 
pendages to  that  priesthood,  the  lesser  priesthood,  and  all 
the  offices  in  the  priesthood  from  first  to  last  and  from  the 
least  to  the  greatest. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1912, 

THE  PRIESTHOOD  AND  ITS  OFFICES.  In  the  Era  for 
February,  it  was  stated  that  several  persons  who  had  acted 
as  counselors  in  the  First  Presidency  had  never  been  or- 
dained apostles.  Several  correspondents  have  objected  to 
the  statement  that  Sidney  Rigdon,  Jedediah  M.  Grant,  Dan- 
iel H.  Wells,  John  R.  Winder,  and  others  were  not  ordained 
apostles.  We  still  maintain,  upon  lack  of  convincing  evi- 
dence to  the  contrary,  that  none  of  these  brethren  was  ever 
ordained  an  apostle.  We  do  know  positively  that  John  R. 
Winder,  Sidney  Rigdon,  Wm.  Law  and  Hyrum  Smith,  all 
of  whom  were  members  in  the  First  Presidency  of  the 
Church,  were  never  ordained  apostles.  But,  be  that  as  it 
may,  however,  the  main  point  we  wish  to  make  is  this,  that 
it  was  not  necessary  that  they  should  so  be  ordained  apostles 
in  order  to  hold  the  position  of  counselor  in  the  First  Pres- 
idency. The  leading  fact  to  be  remembered  is  that  the 
Priesthood  is  greater  than  any  of  its  offices;  and  that  any 


PRIESTHOOD  217 

man  holding  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood  may,  by  virtue  of 
its  possession,  perform  any  ordinance  pertaining  thereto, 
or  connected  therewith,  when  called  upon  to  d'o  so  by  one 
holding  the  proper  authority,  which  proper  authority  is 
vested  in  the  President  of  the  Church,  or  in  any  whom  he 
may  designate.  Every  officer  in  the  Church  is  under  his 
direction,  and  he  is  directed  of  God.  He  is  also  selected  of 
the  Lord  to  be  the  head  of  the  Church,  and'  so  becomes,  when 
the  Priesthood  of  the  Church,  (which  includes  its  officers 
and  its  members)  shall  have  so  accepted  and  upheld  him. 
(Doctrine  and  Covenants,  section  107:22).  No  man  can 
justly  presume  to  have  authority  to  preside,  merely  by  virtue 
of  his  priesthood,  as  is  the  case  with  Joseph  Smith  of  the  re- 
organized church,  for  in  addition,  he  must  be  chosen  and 
accepted  by  the  Church.  The  reverse  was  the  case  with  him. 
Such  action  was  repudiated  by  the  Twelve,  the  quorum  in 
authority  after  the  martyrdom,  and  by  the  whole  Church. 
An  office  in  the  priesthood  is  a  calling,  like  apostle,  high 
priest,  seventy,  elder,  and  derives  all  its  authority  from 
that  priesthood;  these  officers  hold  different  callings,  but 
the  same  priesthood. 

The  apostolic  office,  in  its  very  nature,  is  a  proselyting 
office.  When  an  apostle  presides,  he,  like  the  high  priest,  the 
seventy,  the  elder,  or  the  bishop,  presides  because  of  the 
high  priesthood  which  has  been  conferred  upon  him;  and 
furthermore,  because  he  has  been  called  upon  so  to  do  by 
the  acknowledged  head  of  the  Church.  (Doctrine  and  Cov- 
enants, section  107:23-33).  And  so  with  the  high  priest 
who  has  been  called  to  officiate  in  the  First  Presidency,  in 
which  case  he  is  "accounted  equal"  with  the  President  of 
the  Church  in  holding  the  keys  of  the  Presidency  (section 
90:6)  as  long  as  the  President  remains.  When  he  dies,  the 
calling  of  his  counselors  ends,  and  the  responsibility  of 
Presidency  falls  upon  the  quorum  of  Twelve  Apostles,  be- 
cause they  hold  the  Holy  Melchizedek  Priesthood  and  are 


218  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

the  next  quorum  in  authority.  (Doctrine  and  Covenants, 
section  107:24).  It  is  not  the  apostleship  (Doctrine  and 
Covenants,  section  107),  but  the  priesthood  and  the  calling 
by  proper  authority  which  enables  any  person  to  preside. 
Every  man  holding  the  Holy  Melchized'ek  Priesthood  may 
act  in  any  capacity  and  do  all  things  that  such  priesthood 
holds,  provided  he  is  called  upon  by  proper  authority  to  so 
officiate ;  but  he  would  have  no  right  to  depart  from  the  lim- 
itations of  his  office,  unless  he  is  specially  called  upon  by 
one  whose  calling,  from  those  over  him  up  to  the  head, 
would  clearly  authorize  him  to  give  such  instructions.  It 
is  always  to  be  presumed,  also,  that  order  will  be  observed, 
and  that  the  servants  of  the  Lord  will  not  depart  from  that 
order,  and  call  upon  men  to  do  things  which  the  law  of 
the  priesthood  and  the  nature  of  their  office  do  not  author- 
ize, unless  there  is  special  occasion  for  it.  The  Lord  says 
that  all  things  are  governed  by  law.  (See  Doctrine  and 
Covenants,  section  88:42).  It  is  not  consistent,  for  instance, 
to  imagine  that  the  Lord  would  call  upon  a  deacon  to 
baptize. 

Witness  the  calling,  on  February  14,  1835,  of  David 
Whitmer  and  Martin  Harris,  both  high  priests,  by  the 
Prophet  Joseph,  in  conformity  with  prior  revelation  from 
God  (see  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  section  18)  to  "search 
out  the  Twelve."  They  chose  the  Twelve,  ordained,  and  set 
them  apart  for  their  exalted  callings,  because  they  were 
called  upon  by  the  prophet  of  God  who  had  been  instructed 
of  the  Lord,  and  also  because  these  men  held  the  necessary 
authority  of  the  priesthood,  which  authority  was  exercised, 
in  this  case  as  it  should  be  in  all  cases,  upon  proper  calling. 
The  Doctrine  and  Covenants  makes  it  very  clear  that  while 
each  officer  in  the  Church  has  a  right  to  officiate  in  his  own 
standing,  "the  Melchizedek  Priesthood  holds  the  right  of 
presidency,  and  has  power  and  authority  over  all  the  offices 
in  the  Church  in  all  ages  of  the  world,  to  administer  in  spir- 


PRIESTHOOD  219 

itual   things."      (Doctrine   and   Covenants,   section    107:8.) 

Further,  in  the  same  revelation,  verses  65  and  66,  we 
are  told: 

"Wherefore  it  must  needs  be  that  one  be  appointed  of 
the  high  priesthood  to  preside  over  the  priesthood,  and  he 
shall  be  called  president  of  the  high  priesthood  of  the 
Church ; 

"Or,  in  other  words,  the  presiding  high  priest  over  the 
high  priesthood  of  the  Church." 

It  is  well  to  remember  that  the  term  "high  priesthood," 
as  frequently  used,  has  reference  to  the  Melchizedek  Priest- 
hood, in  contradistinction  to  the  "lesser,"  or  Aaronic,  Priest- 
hood.— Improvement  Era,  Vol.  5,  p.  549 ,  May,  1902. 

AUTHORITY  OF  THE  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  CHURCH.  I  have 
the  right  to  bless.  I  hold  the  keys  of  the  Melchizedek 
Priesthood  and  of  the  office  and  power  of  patriarch.  It  is 
my  right  to  bless ;  for  all  the  keys  and  authority  and  power 
pertaining  to  the  government  of  the  Church  and  to  the  Mel- 
chizedek and  Aaronic  Priesthood  are  centered  in  the  pre- 
siding officer  of  the  Church.  There  is  no  business,  nor 
office,  within  the  Church  that  the  President  of  the  Church 
may  not  fill,  and  may  not  do,  if  it  is  necessary,  or  if  it  is 
required  of  him  to  do  it.  He  holds  the  office  of  patriarch; 
he  holds  the  office  of  high  priest  and  of  apostle,  of  seventy, 
of  elder,  of  bishop,  and  of  priest,  teacher  and  deacon  in  the 
Church ;  all  these  belong  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  and  they  can  officiate  in 
any  and  in  all  of  these  callings  when  occasion  requires. — 
Oct.  C.  R.,  1915,  p.  7. 

RELATION  OF  MEMBERS  OF  FIRST  PRESIDENCY.  I  desire 
to  make  another  remark  or  two  before  we  close  our  con- 
ference. I  will  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  Lord 
in  the  beginning  of  this  work  revealed  that  there  should  be 
three  high  priests  to  preside  over  the  high  priesthood  of 
his  Church  and  over  the  whole  Church  (Doc.  and  Cov. 


220  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

107 :22,  64,  65,  66,  67,  91  and  92) .  He  conferred  upon  them 
all  the  authority  necessary  to  preside  over  all  the  affairs  of 
the  Church.  They  hold  the  keys  of  the  house  of  God,  and 
of  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel,  and  of  every  blessing  which 
has  been  restored  to  the  earth  in  this  dispensation.  This 
authority  is  vested  in  a  presidency  of  three  high  priests. 
They  are  three  presidents.  The  Lord  himself  so  calls  them 
(Doc.  and  Cov.,  sec.  107:29).  But  there  is  one  presiding 
president,  and  his  counselors  are  presidents  also.  I  propose 
that  my  counselors  and  fellow  presidents  in  the  First  Pres- 
idency shall  share  with  me  in  the  responsibility  of  every  act 
which  I  shall  perform  in  this  capacity.  I  do  not  propose  to 
take  the  reins  in  my  own  hands  to  do  as  I  please;  but  I 
propose  to  do  as  my  brethren  and  I  agree  upon,  and  as  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  manifests  to  us.  I  have  always  held, 
and  do  hold,  and  trust  I  alwTays  shall  hold,  that  it  is  wrong 
for  one  man  to  exercise  all  the  authority  and  power  of  pres- 
idency in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 
I  dare  not  assume  such  a  responsibility,  and  I  will  not,  so 
long  as  I  can  have  men  like  these  (pointing  to  Presidents 
Winder  and  Lund)  to  stand  by  and  counsel  with  me  in  the 
labors  we  have  to  perform,  and  in  doing  all  those  things  that 
shall  tend  to  the  peace,  advancement  and  happiness  of  the 
people  of  God  and  the  building  up  of  Zion.  If  at  any  time 
my  brethren  of  the  apostleship  shall  see  in  me  a  disposition 
to  depart  from  this  principle,  or  a  forgetfulness  on  my  part 
of  this  covenant  that  I  make  today  before  this  body  of  priest- 
hood, I  ask  them  in  the  name  of  my  Father,  that  they  will 
come  to  me,  as  my  brethren,  as  counselors  in  the  priesthood, 
as  watchmen  on  the  towers  of  Zion,  and  remind  me  of  this 
covenant  and  promise  which  I  make  to  the  body  of  the 
Church  in  general  conference  assembled  at  this  time.  The 
Lord  never  did  intend  that  one  man  should  have  all  power, 
and  for  that  reason  he  has  placed  in  his  Church,  presidents, 
apostles,  high  priests,  seventies,  elders  and  the  various  offi- 


PRIESTHOOD  221 

cers  of  the  lesser  Priesthood,  all  of  which  are  essential  in 
their  order  and  place  according  to  the  authority  bestowed  on 
them.  The  Lord  never  did  anything  that  was  not  essential 
or  that  was  superfluous.  There  is  a  use  for  every  branch  of 
the  priesthood  that  he  has  established  in  his  Church.  We 
want  every  man  to  learn  his  duty,  and  we  expect  every  man 
will  do  his  duty  as  faithfully  as  he  knows  how,  and  carry 
off  his  portion  of  the  responsibility  of  building  up  Zion  in 
the  latter  days. 

I  felt  like  I  wanted  to  say  that  much  to  these  my  breth- 
ren who  bear  the  holy  priesthood — men  who  wield  influence 
for  the  salvation  of  souls,  who  set  good  examples  before  the 
people  among  whom  they  dwell,  who  teach  them  the  right 
way,  admonish  them  from  sin,  lead  them  in  the  path  of  duty, 
and  enable  them  to  stand  firm  and  steadfast  in  the  faith  of 
the  gospel,  wherewith  they  have  been  made  free  from  sin 
and  from  the  grasp  of  Satan.  God  bless  all  Israel,  is  my 
prayer,  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  Amen. — Oct.  C.  R.  (Special), 
1901,  p.  82. 

DUTIES  OF  APOSTLES.  The  duty  of  the  twelve  apostles 
of  the  Church  is  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  world,  to  send 
it  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  and  to  bear  testimony  of 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  as  living  witnesses  of  his 
divine  mission.  That  is  their  special  calling  and  they  are 
always  under  the  direction  of  the  presidency  of  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  when  that  presidency  is 
intact,  and  there  is  never  at  the  same  time  two  equal  heads 
in  the  Church — never.  The  Lord  never  ordained  any  such 
thing,  nor  designed  it.  There  is  always  a  head  in  the  Chvr 
and  if  the  presidency  of  the  Church  are  removed  by  death  or 
other  cause,  then  the  next  head  of  the  Church  is  the  twelve 
apostles,  until  a  presidency  is  again  organized  of  three  pre- 
siding high  priests  who  have  the  right  to  hold  the  office  of 
First  Presidency  over  the  Church ;  and,  according  to  the  doc- 
trine laid  down  by  President  Wilford  Woodruff,  who  saw 


222  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

the  necessity  for  it,  and  that  of  President  Lorenzo  Snow,  if 
the  president  should  die,  his  counselors  are  then  released 
from  that  presidency,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  the  twelve  apos- 
tles to  proceed  at  once,  in  the  manner  that  has  been  pointed 
out,  to  see  that  the  First  Presidency  is  reorganized,  so  that 
there  may  be  no  deficiency  in  the  working  and  order  of  the 
priesthood  in  the  Church.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1913,  pp.  4,  5. 

TESTIMONY  OF  THE  APOSTLES.  For  instance  these 
twelve  disciples  of  Christ  are  supposed'  to  be  eye  and  ear 
witnesses  of  the  divine  mission  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  not 
permissible  for  them  to  say,  I  believe,  simply ;  I  have  ac- 
cepted it  simply  because  I  believe  it.  Read  the  revelation, 
the  Lord  informs  us  they  must  £we>w,  they  must  get  the 
knowledge  for  themselves,  it  must  be  with  them  as  though 
they  had  seen  with  their  eyes  and  heard  with  their  ears  and 
they  know  the  truth.  That  is  their  mission,  to  testify  of 
Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified  and  risen  from  the  dead  and 
clothed  now  with  almighty -power  at  the  right  hand  of  God, 
the  Savior  of  the  world.  That  is  their  mission,  and  their 
duty,  and  that  is  the  doctrine  and  the  truth  that  it  is  their 
duty  to  preach  to  the  world  and  see  that  it  is  preached  to 
the  world.  Where  they  can  not  go  themselves  they  are  to 
have  the  help  of  others  called  to  their  assistance,  the  sev- 
enties first,  also  the  elders  and  the  high  priests.  Those  who 
hold  the  Melchizedek  priesthood  who  are  not  otherwise  ap- 
pointed are  under  their  direction  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the 
world  and  to  declare  the  truth — that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  and 
that  Joseph  is  a  prophet  of  God,  and  was  authorized  and 
qualified  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  And 
when  I  say  kingdom  of  God  I  mean  what  I  say.  Christ  is  the 
King — not  man.  No  man  is  king  of  the  kingdom  of  God; 
God  is  the  King  of  it,  and  we  acknowledge  him  and  him  only 
as  Sovereign  of  his  Kingdom. — Apr.  C.  R.}  1916,  p.  6.  (Doc. 
and  Cov.  18:26.) 

THE  PRESIDING  BISHOPRIC.  Before  we  get  through 
with  the  conference,  we  expect  to  hear  some  reports  from 


PRIESTHOOD  223 

the  Presiding  Bishopric,  who  are  the  temporal  custodians 
of  the  means  of  the  Church,  and  whose  duty  it  is  to  account 
for  the  receipt  and  disbursement  of  these  funds;  and  you 
will  be  surprised,  perhaps,  to  learn  how  generally  and  uni- 
versally, in  the  Church,  the  means  gathered  from  the  tithes 
of  the  people  are  disposed  of  for  the  benefit  of  all  the  peo- 
ple—and not  for  a  tew.— Apr.  C.  R.f  1912,  p.  6. 

WHEN  TO  SUBMIT  QUESTIONS  TO  THE  GENERAL  AU- 
THORITIES. If  you  have  a  question  to  ask,  or  some  problem 
that  you  are  not  sure  you  are  able  to  solve,  I  would  suggest 
to  you  that  you  figure  it  out  yourselves  and  reach  the  very 
best  conclusion  that  you  can  of  the  matter ;  and  then,  if  you 
are  still  not  quite  satisfied  with  it,  and  you  cannot  get  suf- 
ficient of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  to  reveal  to  you  the  absolute 
truth,  as  to  whether  you  are  right  or  wrong,  just  submit  to 
us  your  conclusion,  and  we  think  we  can  answer  that  a  good 
deal  easier  and  quicker  than  we  can  solve  your  questions  in 
the  way  they  are  generally  put  to  us. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1910,  p.  45. 

No  NEED  TO  POINT  OUT  DEFECTS  OF  CHURCH  LEAD- 
ERS. I  do  not  think  it  is  my  right  or  prerogative  to  point 
out  the  supposed  defects  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  or 
Brigham  Young,  or  any  other  of  the  leaders  of  the  Church. 
Let  the  Lord  God  Almighty  judge  them  and  speak  for  or 
against  them  as  it  may  seem  to  him  good — but  not  me ;  it 
is  not  for  me,  my  brethren,  to  do  this.  Our  enemies  may 
have  taken  advantage  of  us,  in  times  gone  by,  because  of 
unwise  things  that  may  have  been  said.  Some  of  us  may 
now  give  to  the  world  the  same  opportunity  to  speak  evil 
against  us,  because  of  that  which  we  say,  which  should  not 
be  spoken  at  all— Oct.  C.  R.f  1909,  pp.  124,  125. 

HELP  THE  GENERAL  AUTHORITIES.  The  general  author- 
ities of  the  Church  will  be  presented  possibly  tomorrow, 
and  if  not  then,  the  next  day.  We  desire  the  brethren  and 
sisters  who  come  to  the  conference  to  come  with  their  hearts 
full  of  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  of  truth,  and  if  you  discern 


224  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

in  us  any  lack  of  wisdom  or  of  judgment,  any  failure  in 
the  performance  of  our  duty,  we  desire  that  those  who  have 
superior  experience  and  knowledge,  and  greater  intelligence, 
will  do  us  the  honor  and  favor  of  coming  to  us  individually 
and  letting  us  know  wherein  we  come  short.  We  will  give 
a  thousand  errors,  if  we  can  find  them,  or  if  they  exist  in 
us — any  moment,  for  one  truth. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1908,  p.  8. 

TEMPORAL  SUPPORT  OF  GENERAL  AUTHORITIES.  There 
is  not  one  of  the  general  authorities  in  the  Church  who  draws 
one  dollar  from  the  tithes  of  the  people  for  his  own  use. 
Well,  you  may  say,  how  do  they  live?  I  will  give  you  the 
key :  The  Church  helped  to  support  in  its  infancy  the  sugar 
industry  in  this  country,  .and  it  has  some  means  invested  in 
that  enterprise.  The  Church  helped  to  establish  Z.  C.  M.  I., 
and  it  has  a  little  interest  in  that,  and  in  some  other  institu- 
tions which  pay  dividends.  In  other  words,  tithing  funds 
were  invested  in  these  institutions,  which  give  employment 
to  many,  for  which  the  Trustee-in-Trust  holds  stock  certifi- 
cates, which  are  worth  more  today  than  what  was  given  for 
them;  and  the  dividends  from  these  investments  more  than 
pay  for  the  support  of  the  general  authorities  of  the  Church. 
So  we  do  not  use  one  dollar  of  your  tithing. — Apr.  C.  R., 
1907,  pp.  7,  8. 

A  BLESSING  UPON  STAKE  PRESIDENCIES  AND  OTHER 
OFFICERS.  May  God  bless  the  presidents  of  the  stakes  of 
Zion  and  their  counselors,  and  all  the  officers  in  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  May  he  help  them  to 
be  pure,  holy,  honest,  upright  men,  after  God's  own  heart, 
free  from  the  sins  of  the  world,  broad-minded,  full  of  the 
love  of  truth,  charity,  the  spirit  of  forgiveness,  mercy  and 
kindness,  that  they  may  be  as  fathers  indeed  in  the  midst 
of  the  people,  and  not  tyrants.  You,  my  brethren,  are  not 
called  to  be  masters ;  you  are  called  to  be  servants.  Let  him 
that  would  be  great  among  you  be  the  servant  of  all.  Let 
us  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  our  Master,  the  Lord  Jesus 


PRIESTHOOD  225 

Christ.  He  alone  is  the  perfect  example  for  mankind.  He 
is  the  only  infallible  rule  and  law,  way  and  door  into  ever- 
lasting life.  Let  us  follow  the  Son  of  God.  Make  him  our 
exemplar,  and  our  guide.  Imitate  him.  Do  his  works. 
Become  like  unto  him,  as  far  as  it  lies  within  our  power  to 
become  like  him  that  was  perfect  and  without  sin. — Apr. 
C.  R.,  1907,  p.  118.  (Doc.  and  Cov.  18:21-25.) 

COUNSEL  TO  STAKE  PRESIDENTS  AND  BISHOPS.  Above 
all  things  let  me  say  to  the  presidents  of  stakes  and  counsel- 
ors and  presidents  of  missions,  and  to  the  bishops  and  their 
counselors — let  me  say  to  you  all,  live  exemplary  lives,  so 
that  you  can  each  say  to  the  people :  "Come  and  follow  me, 
follow  my  example,  obey  my  precepts ;  be  in  union  with  me, 
and  follow  me  as  I  am  appointed  to  lead,  advise  and  counsel, 
as  I  follow  Christ."— Oct.  C.  R.,  1906,  p.  8. 

DUTIES  OF  STAKE  PRESIDENTS.  I  want  to  say  to  these 
presidents  of  stakes  who  are  present :  you  have  my  confi- 
dence, you  have  my  love.  I  pray  for  you  every  day  of  my 
life,  and  I  trust  that  you  remember  me  and  my  brethren  in 
your  prayers.  We  understand  the  responsibilities  that  rest 
upon  you  in  the  discharge  of  your  duties.  You  are  fathers 
to  the  people ;  that  great  responsibility  rests  upon  you ;  your 
labors  are  manifold  and  sometimes  very  difficult.  We  realize 
the  burdens  that  you  have  to  bear,  the  patience  that  you  have 
to  exercise  and  exhibit  in  the  discharge  of  your  duty,  in 
order  that  you  may  avoid  giving  offense,  and  that  you  may 
reconcile  the  people,  over  whom  you  preside,  to  that  which  is 
right  without  using  drastic  measures.  We  understand  this, 
and  you  have  our  sympathy,  our  fellowship,  our  love,  and 
what  strength  you  may  derive  from  our  faith  and  prayers 
that  you  may  preside  in  righteousness  over  your  different 
stakes  of  Zion,  and  that  your  brethren  associated  with  you 
may  be  united  with  you,  and  that  you  may  pull  together  in 
that  which  is  right  and  proper  for  the  upbuilding  of  Zion 

16 


226  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

and  the  defense  of  the  people  of  God. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1905, 
p.  8. 

DUTY  OF  HIGH  COUNCILS.  The  duty  of  the  high  coun- 
cils of  the  Church,  when  they  are  called  to  act  upon  ques- 
tions involving  the  membership  or  standing  of  members  of 
the  Church,  is  to  find  out  the  truth,  the  facts,  and  then  judge 
according  to  the  truth  and  the  fa^cts  that  are  brought  to  their 
understanding,  always  tempered  with  mercy,  love,  and  kind- 
ness, and  with  the  spirit  in  their  souls  to  save  and  not  to  de- 
stroy ;  our  aim  should  be  to  build  up,  and  not  to  tear  down. 
Our  calling  is  to  convey  the  spirit  of  love,  truth,  peace  and 
good  will  to  mankind  throughout  the  world;  that  war  may 
cease ;  that  strife  may  come  to  an  end,  and  that  peace  may 
prevail.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1915,  p.  5. 

DUTIES  OF  PATRIARCHS.  We  have  a  number  of  patri- 
archs in  the  Church  whose  duty  it  is  to  bestow  blessings  up- 
on the  head's  of  those  who  seek  blessings  at  their  hands. 
They  are  fathers.  They  hold  the  evangelical  office  in  the 
Church.  It  is  their  business  and  right  to  bestow  blessings 
upon  the  people,  to  make  promises  unto  them  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord,  as  it  may  be  given  them  by  the  inspiration  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  to  comfort  them  in  the  hours  of  sorrow  and 
trouble,  to  strengthen  their  faith  by  the  promises  that  shall 
be  made  to  them  through  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  to  be  fath- 
ers indeed  of  the  people,  leading  them  into  all  truth. — Oct, 
C.  R.,  1904,  p.  4. 

DUTIES  OF  HIGH  PRIESTS.  In  addition  to  these  organ- 
izations we  have  in  each  stake  of  Zion  an  organization  called 
the  high  priests  quorum,  to  which  all  high  priests  of  the 
Church  belong,  including  the  presidency  and  the  high  coun- 
cilors of  the  stake,  and  also  the  bishops  and  their  counsel- 
ors, all  the  patriarchs,  and  all  others  who  have  been  ordained 
to  the  office  of  high  priest  in  the  Church,  which  office  is  the 
office  of  presidency  in  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood,  not  that 
every  man  who  holds  the  office  of  high  priest  is  a  president. 


PRIESTHOOD  227 

Only  he  who  is  called,  appointed  and  set  apart  to  preside 
among  the  high  priests  holds  the  presiding  authority  and 
office.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1904,  p.  3. 

DUTIES  OF  HIGH  PRIESTS'  QUORUMS.  The  high  priests' 
quorums  should  have  their  regular  meetings.  They  should 
meet  together  as  often  as  circumstances  will  permit  or  as 
necessity  requires,  and  grow  and  unite  together.  They 
should  establish  their  schools  of  instruction  and  enlighten- 
ment ;  for  it  is  the  duty  of  the  high  priests'  quorum  to  teach 
the  principles  of  government,  of  union,  of  advancement  and 
of  growth  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  They  are  indeed  the  fath- 
ers of  the  people  at  large.  In  our  high  priests'  quorums  are 
numbered  the  presidents  of  stakes  and  their  counselors,  bish- 
ops and  counselors,  patriarchs,  and  all  that  have  been  or- 
dained to  the  office  of  high  priest  in  the  Melchizedek  Priest- 
hood. All  such  belong  to  the  high  priests'  quorum.  They 
come  under  its  supervision,  and  they  should  have  a  lively 
union  with  it,  not  a  dead  connection.  They  should  be  united 
with  the  quorum  in  such  a  way  that  they  give  it  all  the  force 
that  they  can  impart  for  good.  They  should  give  it  their 
individual  influence,  their  hearty  support,  their  confidence, 
and  the  benefit  of  their  advice  and  counsel.  They  should 
-not  pull  apart,  not  be  disinterested  in  these  matters. — Apr. 
C.  R.,  1907,  p.  5. 

DUTY  OF  HIGH  PRIESTS.  Every  man  who  holds  the 
office  of  high  priest  in  the  Church  or  has  been  ordained  a 
high  priest,  whether  he  is  called  to  active  position  in  the 
Church  or  not — inasmuch  as  he  has  been  ordained  a  high 
priest,  should  feel  that  he  is  obliged — that  it  is  his  bounden 
duty,  to  set  an  example  before  the  old  and  young  worthy  of 
emulation,  and  to  place  himself  in  a  position  to  be  a  teacher 
of  righteousness,  not  only  by  precept  but  more  particularly 
by  example — giving  to  the  younger  ones  the  benefit  of  the  ex- 
perience of  age,  and  thus  becoming  individually  a  power  in 
the  midst  of  the  community  in  which  he  dwells.  Every 


228  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

man  who  has  light  should  let  that  light  shine  that  those 
who  see  it  may  glorify  their  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  and 
honor  him  who  possesses  the  light  and  who  causes  it  to  shine 
forth  for  the  benefit  of  others.  In  a  local  capacity,  there  is 
no  body  of  priesthood  in  the  Church  who  should  excel,  or 
who  are  expected  to  excel,  those  who  are  called  to  bear  the 
office  of  high  priest  in  the  Church.  From  among  those  who 
hold  this  office  are  chosen  the  presidents  of  stakes  and  their 
counselors,  and  the  high  councils  of  the  stakes  of  Zion,  and 
from  this  office  are  chosen  the  bishops,  and  the  bishops' 
counselors,  in  every  ward  in  Zion ;  and  heretofore,  of  this 
office  are  those  who  have  been  called  to  take  charge  of  our 
stake  Mutual  Improvement  organizations.  Those  holding 
this  office  are,  as  a  rule,  men  of  advanced  years,  and  varied 
experience,  men  who  have  filled  missions  abroad,  who  have 
preached  the  gospel  to  the  nations  of  the  earth,  and  who 
have  had  experience  not  only  abroad  but  at  home.  Their 
experience  and  wisdom  is  the  ripened  fruit  of  years  of  labor 
in  the  Church,  and  they  should  exercise  that  wisdom  for 
the  benefit  of  all  with  whom  they  are  associated. — Apr.  C.  R., 
1908,  pp.  5,  6. 

PURPOSE  AND  DUTIES  OF  SEVENTIES.  The  seventies 
are  called  to  be  assistants  to  the  twelve  apostles ;  indeed 
they  are  apostles  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  subject  to  the 
direction  of  the  twelve,  and  it  is  their  duty  to  respond  to 
the  call  of  the  twelve,  under  the  direction  of  the  First 
Presidency  of  the  Church,  to  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature,  to  every  tongue  and  people  under  the  heavens  to 
whom  they  may  be  sent.  Hence  they  should  understand  the 
gospel,  and  they  should  not  be  wholly  dependent  upon  our 
auxiliary  organizations  for  instruction,  neither  should  they 
be  wholly  dependent  upon  the  missionary  classes  in  our 
Church  schools  for  their  knowledge  of  the  gospel,  and  for 
their  qualifications  to  preach  that  gospel  to  the  world.  They 
should  take  up  the  study  of  the  gospel,  the  study  of  the 


PRIESTHOOD  229 

scriptures  and  the  history  of  the  dealings  of  God  with  the 
peoples  of  the  earth,  in  their  own  quorums,  and  make  those 
quorums,  schools  of  learning  and  instruction,  wherein  they 
may  qualify  themselves  for  every  labor  and  duty  that  may  be 
required  at  their  hands. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1907,  pp.  5,  6. 

DUTY  OF  SEVENTIES.  The  seventies  have  no  responsi- 
bility of  presiding.  It  is  not  the  calling  or  duty  of  their 
office  to  preside.  They  are  traveling  elders,  and  they  are  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  the  world,  under  the  direction  of  the 
twelve  apostles,  who  constitute  the  traveling  high  council 
of  the  Church,  and  who  are  special  witnesses  of  Jesus  Christ 
to  all  the  world.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1901,  p.  72. 

DUTIES  OF  SEVENTIES.  We  have  also  in  the  Church 
today,  I  am  informed,  146  quorums  of  seventy.  These 
constitute  a  body  of  elders  of  somewhere  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  10,000  men,  whose  special  duty  it  is  to  respond  to 
the  call  of  the  apostles  to  preach  the  gospel,  without  purse 
or  scrip,  to  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  They  are  minute 
men.  It  is  expected  that  they  will  be  ready,  whenever  they 
are  called,  to  go  out  in  the  world,  or  to  go  out  to  the  vari- 
ous organizations  of  the  Church  to  fulfil  missions  and  to 
perform  such  duties  as  shall  be  required  of  them,  in  order 
that  the  work  of  the  Lord  and  the  work  of  the  ministry  may 
be  upheld  and  sustained  and  carried  on  in  the  Church  and 
throughout  the  world.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1904,  p.  3. 

SEVENTIES'  QUORUMS  TO  BE  REPLENISHED  FROM  ELDERS' 
QUORUMS.  Gather  in  from  the  elders'  quorums  those  who 
have  proved  themselves  worthy,  and  who  have  gained  experi- 
ence, and  make  seventies  of  them,  so  that  the  quorum  of  the 
seventies  may  be  replenished  ;  and  the  aged  ones,  whose  phys- 
ical condition  will  not  permit  them  any  longer  to  do  mission- 
ary duty  in  the  world,  let  them  be  ordained  high  priests  and 
patriarchs,  to  bless  the  people  and  to  minister  at  home.  Gather 
in  the  strong,  the  vigorous,  the  young,  the  able-bodied,  who 
have  the  spirit  of  the  gospel  in  their  hearts,  to  fill  up  the 


230  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

ranks  of  the  seventies,  that  we  may  have  ministers  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  the  world.  They  are  needed.  We  cannot  now 
meet  the  demand.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1905,  p.  96. 

ELDERS  TO  PROCLAIM  GOSPEL.  I  believe  that  the  elders 
of  Israel,  and  the  officers  of  the  Church,  should  devote  them- 
selves to  the  proclamation  of  the  gospel  of  life  everlasting, 
and  that  they  should  not  dwell  or  seek  to  dwell  upon  trivial 
and  nonsensical  things,  or  upon  personal  conduct  or  extra- 
neous affairs.  I  think  they  should  be  dignified  and  sincere 
in  their  spirit  and  utterances.  I  think  they  should  be  moved 
by  the  spirit  of  truth  and  of  the  inspiration  of  the  gospel, 
and  consider  that  it  is  their  mission  to  bear  record  of  Jesus 
Christ,  of  Joseph  Smith,  and  of  the  divinity  of  the  great 
latter-day  work,  the  foundations  of  which  Joseph  Smith  was 
instrumental  in  the  hands  of  God  in  establishing  in  the  latter 
days.  I  believe  if  our  brethren  will  devote  their  thought, 
their  minds  and  efforts  in  this  direction,  that  they  will  please 
the  Lord,  they  will  satisfy  the  Saints,  and  they  will  fulfil  the 
object  of  their  mission  better  than  they  can  possibly  do  by 
criticizing  themselves  or  others,  or  dwelling  on  the  faults 
and  failings  of  men.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1909,  p.  124. 

DUTIES  OF  ELDERS.  I  am  not  prepared  to  state  how 
many  elders  we  have  in  the  Church ;  but  they  are  very  nu- 
merous. It  is  the  duty  of  this  body  of  men  to  be  standing 
ministers  at  home ;  to  be  ready  at  the  call  of  the  presiding 
officers  of  the  Church  and  the  stakes,  to  labor  in  the  ministry 
at  home,  and  to  officiate  in  any  calling  that  may  be  required 
of  them,  whether  it  be  to  work  in  the  temples,  or  to  labor  in 
the  ministry  at  home,  or  whether  it  be  to  go  out  into  the 
world,  along  with  the  seventies,  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the 
world.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1904,  p.  4. 

AUTHORITY  OF  THE  BISHOPS  AND  OTHER  PRESIDING 
OFFICERS.  A  bishop  is  the  presiding  officer  of  his  ward, 
and  where  the  bishop  is  in  the  ward,  his  counselors  and 
those  who  are  members  of  his  ward  are  subject  to  his  pres- 


PRIESTHOOD  231 

idency.  He  cannot  yield  it  up.  He  cannot  give  it  to  an- 
other ;  or,  if  he  does,  he  violates  one  of  the  sacred  principles 
of  the  government  of  the  priesthood.  He  may  direct  his 
counselors,  the  first  or  the  second,  to  do  his  will,  to  carry 
out  his  wishes,  to  execute  his  desires,  or  his  commands ;  but 
in  so  doing  the  counselor  does  not  act  as  the  bishop,  but  he 
acts  under  the  direction  of  the  presiding  authority.  He  does 
not  act  independently  of  the  bishop,  but  subordinate  to  the 
bishop,  and  is  subject  entirely  to  the  bishop's  direction.  This 
principle  prevails,  or  should  prevail,  in  the  Sunday  school 
organization  of  the  Church.  We  can  commission  and  ap- 
point ;  that  is,  those  who  preside  can  call  upon  their  aids  for 
assistance,  they  can  direct  them  to  accomplish  labors,  but  in 
every  instance  when  they  do,  it  is  by  and  with  and  under 
the  consent  of  the  presiding  authority,  and  by  his  advice, 
but  not  independently.  Our  missions  have  not  always  been 
organized  strictly  according  to  the  pattern  that  the  Lord 
has  given.  In  a  great  many  instances  the  presiding  elder 
has  been  the  sole  presiding  officer  of  the  mission. 

But  in  recent  years,  in  many  instances,  it  has  been 
deemed  wise,  not  only  to  have  a  presiding  elder  in  the  mis- 
sion, but  also  assistants  to  the  president,  or  counselors,  that 
they  may  render  him  such  assistance  and  counsel  as  he  may 
need.  In  all  these  things  the  presiding  officer  is  the  head, 
should  be  regarded  in  his  place,  and  his  place  should  be  held 
sacred  in  the  minds  of  his  associates.  And  no  man  pos- 
sessing a  correct  understanding  of  the  spirit  of  the  gospel 
and  of  the  authority  and  law  of  the  holy  priesthood  will  at- 
tempt for  a  moment  to  run  before  his  file  leader  or  to  do 
anything  that  is  not  strictly  in  harmony  with  his  wish  and 
the  authority  that  belongs  to  him.  The  moment  a  man 
in  a  subordinate  position  begins  to  usurp  the  authority  of  his 
file  leader,  that  moment  he  is  out  of  his  place,  and  proves  by 
his  conduct  that  he  does  not  comprehend  his  duty,  that  he  is 
not  acting  in  the  line  of  his  calling,  and  is  a  dangerous  char- 


232  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

acter.  He  will  set  bad  examples,  he  will  mislead,  he  will  lead 
others  into  error  having  fallen  into  error  himself ;  indeed,  he 
is  in  error  the  moment  he  acts  contrary  to  and  independent 
of  the  direction  of  his  presiding  officer;  and  if  he  continues 
in  that  course  he  will  go  astray  entirely,  and  those  who  fol- 
low him  will  follow  him  astray.  We  all  understand  that 
principle,  I  think,  and  I  would  like  to  see  my  brethren  and 
sisters  who  are  connected  with  the  Sunday  school  work  ob- 
serve it  strictly,  but  in  the  true  spirit ;  not  with  any  kind  of 
stiff  formality  or  set  ways,  but  in  the  true  spirit  of  presi- 
dency, lovingly  subject  to  divine  authority,  the  authority 
that  God  has  instituted  that  we  may  emulate,  the  example 
of  the  Son  himself,  who  came  to  earth,  and  while  he  pos- 
sessed majestic  power  to  heal  the  sick,  to  restore  sight  to 
the  blind,  hearing  to  the  deaf,  and  bring  the  dead  to  life,  and 
to  accomplish  wonderful  things,  walking  upon  the  waves, 
stilling  the  storms,  casting  out  devils,  and'  multiplying  the 
loaves  and  fishes,  by  which  he  fed  the  multitudes  of  people, 
yet  in  accomplishing  all  this  he  declared,  over  and  over  again, 
this  great  principle,  that  he  came  not  to  do  his  own  will,  but 
the  will  of  him  that  sent  him,  recognizing  in  every  feature  of 
his  message  and  ministry  in  the  world  that  God  was  at  the 
head,  and  that  he  did  nothing  of  himself,  but  only  that 
which  the  Father  sent  him  to  do.  Thus  he  was  acting  un- 
der the  authority  of  his  president  or  file  leader — of  him  who 
sent  him  and  commissioned  him  to  accomplish  the  work  he 
was  sent  to  do.  Let  us  follow  that  spirit  and  example,  and 
adopt  that  principle  in  our  lives,  then  we  shall  never  have 
presiding  elders  and  officers  in  the  Church  at  logger-heads 
with  each  other,  contending  with  each  other,  and  at  cross 
purposes.  They  will  always  be  one.  They  will  see  eye  to 
eye,  they  will  understand  better  the  principles  of  divine 
government,  the  principles  of  the  gospel  and  the  promptings 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1905  (Sunday  School),  pp. 
109,  110. 


PRIESTHOOD  233 

DUTIES  OF  l)i SHOPS.  It  is  expected  that  the  bishop  of 
a  ward  with  his  counselors  will  understand  the  necessities 
of  every  member  of  his  ward.  Then  they  have  as  assistants 
and  helpers  a  large  corps  of  elders,  and  priests,  teachers  and 
deacons  of  the  lesser  Priesthood,  who  render  assistance  to 
them  in  the  temporal  as  well  as  the  spiritual  affairs  of  the 
Church.  It  devolves  upon  the  bishopric  of  the  ward  to  look 
after  the  poor,  to  minister  unto  the  sick  and  the  afflicted  and 
to  see  that  there  is  no  want  nor  suffering  among  the  people 
in  these  organized  divisions  of  the  Church.  It  is  also  the 
duty  of  these  presiding  officers  in  the  Church  to  look  after 
the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  people,  to  see  that  they  are  living 
moral,  pure  and  upright  lives,  that  they  are  faithful  in  the 
discharge  of  their  duties  as  Latter-day  Saints,  that  they  are 
honest  in  their  dealings  with  one  another,  and  with  all  the 
world.  It  is  their  business  to  see  that  spiritual  light  exists 
in  their  hearts,  and  that  the  people  under  their  presidency 
and  direction  are  living  the  lives  of  Saints,  as  far  as  it  is 
possible  for  men  and  women,  in  the  mortal  body,  beset  by 
the  weaknesses  and  imperfections  of  mankind,  to  be  Saints. 
-Oct.  C.  R.,  1904,  pp.  2,  3. 

BISHOPS  AND  LESSER  PRIESTHOOD  SHOULD  BE  ACTIVE. 
The  bishops  and  the  lesser  priesthood  should  be  very  active 
and  energetic.  We  should  look  after  the  boys  who  have 
been  ordained  deacons,  teachers,  and  priests  in  the  Church. 
We  should  find  something  for  them  to  do  in  their  calling. 
Let  them  be  appointed  to  active  labors  in  their  several 
spheres.  Put  forward  those  who  have  not  had  experience  to 
accompany  those  who  have,  and  give  them  something  to  do. 
Let  the  deacons  not  only  assist  to  keep  the  meeting  houses  in 
repair  and  their  grounds  in  proper  condition,  but  let  them 
be  set  to  work  to  look  after  the  welfare  of  the  widows  and 
fatherless,  the  aged  and  the  poor.  Many  of  our  young  men 
who  are  idle,  languishing  for  the  want  of  something  to  do, 
could  be  made  most  useful  in  helping  the  poor  to  clean 


234  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

up  about  their  homes  and  make  them  comfortable,  and  help- 
ing them  to  live  in  such  a  way  that  life  would  be  pleasant 
to  them.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  members  of  the  lesser 
priesthood'  should  not  be  engaged  in  missions  and  labors  of 
this  kind.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1908,  p.  6. 

DUTIES  OF  THE  LESSER  PRIESTHOOD.  Then  we  have 
the  lesser  priesthood,  who  attends  to  the  different  tem- 
poral matters  of  the  Church,  consisting  of  priests,  teachers 
and  deacons,  who  labor  under  the  direction  of  the  bishopric 
in  the  various  wards  in  which  they  dwell,  for  the  work  of 
the  ministry,  for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ,  the 
unifying  of  the  people  and  bringing  them  up  to  the  standard 
of  righteousness  that  they  should  reach  in  the  flesh,  ac- 
cording to  the  light  they  possess  and  the  ability  and  talent 
which  the  Lord  has  given  them.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1904,  p.  4. 

LESSER  PRIESTHOOD.  The  bishops  should  take  especial 
charge  of  the  lesser  priesthood,  and  train  them  in  the  duties 
of  their  callings — the  priests,  teachers  and  deacons.  Our 
young  men  should  be  looked  after.  The  boys,  as  soon  as  it 
is  prudent,  should  be  called  to  take  part  in  the  lesser  priest- 
hood. If  it  were  possible  to  grade  them,  from  the  deacon 
to  the  priest,  and  from  the  priest  upward,  through  all  the 
offices  that  will  eventually  devolve  upon  them,  it  would  be 
one  of  the  best  things  that  could  be  done.  All  these  things 
should  be  looked  after  by  the  presiding  authorities  of  the 
Church,  especially  those  who  preside  over  the  quorums.  I 
will  repeat  what  I  said  before,  it  is  expected  that  every  man 
on  whom  responsibility  is  placed  will  do  his  duty  faithfully, 
and  be  diligent  in  the  performance  thereof. — Apr.  C.  R.} 
1907,  p.  6. 

THE  WORK  OF  THE  BISHOPRIC.  The  work  of  the  bish- 
opric is  both  temporal  and  spiritual.  The  average  bishop 
gives  all  his  time  and  efforts  for  the  betterment  of  the  people 
over  whom  he  presides.  The  bishop  should  not  try  to  do 
all  the  work  that  is  necessary  to  be  done  in  his  ward.  His 


PRIESTHOOD  235 

counselors  are  there  to  help  him,  and  a  due  portion  of  the 
responsibility  of  the  bishop  of  the  ward  should  be  placed 
upon  his  counselors.  Neither  is  it  wise  that  the  bishopric 
of  the  ward  should  feel  they  are  compelled  to  do  all  that  is 
necessary  to  be  done  in  their  wards.  They  should  exercise 
their  right  to  call  upon  the  priesthood  to  visit  the  people 
as  teachers  and  preachers  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  that 
they  may  give  to  all  as  far  as  possible  an  opportunity  to  exer- 
cise their  talents  and  to  do  good  in  their  wards.  It  is  some- 
times advisable  to  give  to  each  counselor  special  duties,  and 
assign  each  of  the  counselors  his  proportion  of  the  respon- 
sibilities which  belong  to  the  bishopric,  each  one  doing  some 
special  work  for  which  he  is  adapted,  so  that  all  may  be 
active.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1914,  p.  6. 

DIGNITY  OF  TEACHERS'  CALLING.  We  have  had  called 
to  our  attention,  recently,  the  fact  that  some  men  who  are 
of  long  standing  in  the  Church — indeed,  some  of  them  born 
and  reared  in  the  Church,  and  who  are  occupying  prominent 
positions  in  some  of  the  quorums  of  the  priesthood — when 
their  presidents  or  their  bishops  of  the  wards  in  which  they 
live  call  upon  them  to  visit  the  Saints,  teach  the  principles  of 
the  gospel  and  perform  the  duties  of  teachers,  they  coolly  in- 
form their  bishops  that  they  have  graduated  from  that  calling 
and  refuse  to  act  as  teachers.  Brother  Charles  W.  Penrose 
is  eighty-two  years  of  age.  I  am  going  on  seventy-six,  and 
I  believe  that  I  am  older  than  several  of  these  good  men  who 
have  graduated  from  the  duties  of  the  lesser  priesthood,  and 
I  want  to  tell  them  and  you  that  we  are  not  too  old  to  act  as 
teachers,  if  you  will  call  us  to  do  it — not  one  of  us.  There 
is  never  a  time,  there  never  will  come  a  time  to  those  who 
hold  the  priesthood  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints,  when  men  can  say  of  themselves  that  they  have 
done  enough.  So  long  as  life  lasts,  and  so  long  as  we  pos- 
sess ability  to  do  good,  to  labor  for  the  upbuilding  of  Zion, 
and  for  the  benefit  of  the  human  family,  we  ought,  with  will- 


236  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

ing-ness,  to  yield  with  alacrity  to  the  requirements  made  of  us 
to  do  our  duty,  little  or  great. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1914,  p.  7. 

VALUE  OF  TEACHERS'  WORK.  I  don't  know  of  any  duty 
that  is  more  sacred,  or  more  necessary,  if  it  is  carried  out  as 
it  should  be,  than  the  duties  of  the  teachers  who  visit  the 
homes  of  the  people,  who  pray  with  them,  who  admonish 
them  to  virtue  and  honor,  to  unity,  to  love,  and  to  faith  in 
and  fidelity  to  the  cause  of  Zion ;  who  strive  to  settle  uncer- 
tainties in  the  minds  of  the  people  and  bring  them  to  the 
standard  of  the  knowledge  that  they  should  possess  in  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  May  all  the  people  open  their  doors, 
call  in  the  members  of  their  families,  and  respect  the  visits 
of  the  teachers  to  their  homes,  and  join  with  them  in  striv- 
ing to  bring  about  a  better  condition,  if  possible,  in  the 
home  than  ordinarily  exists.  If  you  can  advance,  try  to  aid 
the  teachers  to  help  you  make  that  advancement. — Apr.  C. 
R.,  1915,  p.  140. 

THE  RESTORATION  OF  THE  MELCHIZEDEK  PRIESTHOOD. 
"Xo  man  can  be  exalted  unless  he  be  independent.  *  *  * 
Mankind  are  naturally  independent  and  intelligent  beings, 
they  have  been  created  for  the  express  purpose  of  exalting 
themselves."  The  study  of  the  subject  of  the  holy  or  Mel- 
chize/lek  priesthood,  including  the  Aaronic,  is  one  of  vast 
importance  to  the  human  family.  The  student  of  the  true 
science  of  theology  will  readily  comprehend  the  necessity 
of  its  existence  among  men,  for  the  reason  that  true  the- 
ology, or  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  cannot  exist  without 
it.  It  lies  at  the  foundation  of  the  Church,  it  is  the  author- 
ity by  which  the  Church  is  established  or  organized,  built  up 
and  governed,  and  by  which  the  gospel  is  preached,  and  all 
the  ordinances  thereof  designed  for  the  salvation  of  man- 
kind are  administered  or  solemnized.  No  ordinance  of  the 
gospel  can  be  performed  acceptably  to  God  or  with  efficacy 
to  man  except  by  its  authority  and  power,  and  certainly 
there  is  no  ordinance  or  rite  instituted  by  the  Almighty  in 


PRIESTHOOD  237 

the  great  plan  of  redemption  which  is  not  essential  to  the 
salvation  or  exaltation  of  his  children.  Therefore,  where  the 
Melchizedek  or  holy  Priesthood  does  not  exist,  there  can 
be  no  true  Church  of  Christ  in  its  fulness.  When  this  priest- 
hood is  not  found  among  mankind  they  are  destitute  of  the 
power  of  God,  and  therefore  of  the  true  science  of  theology, 
or  the  Church  and  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  great 
High  Priest  and  Apostle  of  our  salvation.  While  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith  was  engaged  in  translating  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, in  1829,  he  and  Oliver  Cowdery  became  animated  over 
the  truths  and  glorious  promises  unfolded  to  them  in  their 
work,  and  desired  to  reach  out  after  these  blessings  before 
their  work  was  done,  but  the  Lord  gently  admonished  them 
not  to  be  in  a  hurry ;  he  said :  "You  must  wait  yet  a  little 
while,  for  ye  are  not  yet  ordained,"  but  the  promise  was 
given  that  they  should  be  ordained  thereafter,  and  they 
should  go  forth  and  deliver  the  word  of  God  unto  the  chil- 
dren of  men,  and  he  pronounced  a  woe  upon  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth  if  they  would  not  then  hearken  unto  their 
words. 

The  ordinary  meaning  of  the  word  priesthood,  as  gen- 
erally understood  and  applied  in  the  world,  signifies  a  class 
or  body  of  men  set  apart  for  sacred  duties,  or  holding  the 
priestly  office,  or  an  order  of  persons  composed  of  priests 
spoken  of  or  taken  collectively.  This  is  not,  however,  the 
sense  in  which  the  words  Melchizedek  or  holy  Priesthood, 
are  used  here.  Reference  is  made  in  this  article  to  the 
sacred  office, itself,  or  the  principle  of  power  which  consti- 
tutes the  office,  and  is  the  authority  by  which  individuals  or 
the  several  orders,  or  quorums,  as  we  use  the  term,  com- 
posing the  priesthood  of  the  Church,  may  legitimately  act  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord ;  or  the  moving,  directing,  controlling, 
governing  or  presiding  agency,  right  and  authority,  which 
is  vested  in  the  Godhead  and  delegated  unto  man  for  the 
purposes  of  his  instruction,  initiation  into  the  Church,  spir- 


238  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

itual  and  temporal  guidance,  government  and  exaltation. 
That  is  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood,  which  is  without  father, 
without  mother,  or  descent,  or  beginning  of  days,  or  end  of 
life,  which  the  great  high  priest,  Melchizedek,  so  honored 
and  magnified  in  his  time  that  it  was  called  after  his  name, 
in  honor  to  him  and  to  avoid  the  too  frequent  repetition  of 
the  name  of  the  Son  of  God. 

This  distinction  between  the  quorums  of  the  priesthood 
and  the  priesthood  itself  should  always  be  kept  in  mind  in 
the  use  of  the  term  Melchizedek  or  Holy  Priesthood.  The 
Holy  Priesthood  after  the  order  of  the  Son  of  God  was  the 
original  name  given  to  this  priesthood.  Subsequently  it  was 
called  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood.  This  priesthood  was 
confirmed  upon  Adam,  Abel,  Seth,  Enoch,  Methuselah, 
Noah,  Melchizedek,  Abraham,  Moses  and  many  others,  and 
doubtless  upon  many  of  the  prophets  prior  to  the  birth  of 
Christ,  upon  his  chosen  disciples  among  the  Jews,  before  his 
crucifixion,  and  upon  the  Nephite  disciples  upon  this  con- 
tinent, after  his  resurrection  and  ascension  on  high.  These 
he  made  his  apostles,  to  bear  witness  of  him  upon  both  hem- 
ispheres and  to  all  the  world ;  and  doubtless  the  Savior  con- 
ferred this  priesthood  upon  other  disciples  whom  he  chose 
from  among  the  "other  sheep"  of  whom  he  spoke  to  the 
Nephites,  which  were  not  of  the  folds  of  the  Jews  or  of  the 
Nephites,  whose  records  are  yet  to  come  forth  to  bear  wit- 
ness of  him,  in  the  due  time  of  the  Lord. 

We  learn  from  the  revelations  that  God  took  Moses, 
and  the  Holy  Priesthood  also,  out  of  the  midst  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel.  But  the  lesser  or  Aaronic  Priesthood,  which 
was  confirmed  upon  Aaron  and  his  seed,  continued  among 
them  till  the  coming  of  Christ  in  the  meridian  of  time.  John, 
the  son  of  Zacharias,  was  probably  the  last  who  held  the  keys 
of  this  Priesthood  among  the  Jews.  He  was  raised  up  and 
sent  as  the  forerunner  of  Christ  to  prepare  the  way  for  his 
first  coming.  And  he  was  also  sent  to  the  world  in  this  dis- 


PRIESTHOOD  239 

pensation  to  begin  the  work  of  preparation  for  Christ's  sec- 
ond advent. 

"There  are  in  the  Church  two  Priesthoods,  namely,  the 
Melchizedek  and  Aaronic,  including  the  Levitical  Priesthood. 
Why  the  first  is  called  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood  is  be- 
cause Melchizedek  was  such  a  great  high  priest.  Before  his 
day  it  was  called  the  Holy  Priesthood,  after  the  order  of  the 
Son  of  God."  The  Melchizedek  priesthood  holds  the  keys 
of  all  the  spiritual  blessings  of  the  Church,  of  the  mysteries 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  of  communion  with  the  general 
assembly  and  Church  of  the  first  born,  and  the  presence  of 
God,  the  Father,  and  Jesus,  the  Mediator. 

The  Aaronic  priesthood  is  an  appendage  to  the  first, 
and  holds  the  keys  of  the  ministering  of  angels,  and  the 
outward  ordinances  and  letter  of  the  gospel,  the  baptism 
of  repentance  for  the  remission  of  sins  agreeable  to  the  cov- 
enants and  commandments. 

The  Melchizedek  priesthood,  which  Christ  restored  to 
the  earth,  remained  among  men  between  three  and  four 
hundred  years  afterwards.  When,  in  consequence  of  trans- 
gressions, apostasy  from  the  true  order  of  the  priesthood 
and  Church  of  Christ,  the  innovations  of  priestcraft  and 
paganism,  the  true  order  of  God  was  lost,  the  holy  priest- 
hood was  taken  from  the  earth,  and  the  Church  of  Christ 
ceased  to  be  among  men,  so  far  as  we  have  any  knowledge 
by  revelation  or  from  the  history  and  records  of  the  past. 

Then  were  fulfilled  many  predictions  of  the  prophets 
and  apostles,  contained  in  the  word  of  God.  Among  them 
the  word  of  God  spoken  by  John  in  the  12th  chapter,  of  Rev- 
elation, and  the  prophecy  of  Amos :  "Behold,  the  days  come, 
saith  the  Lord  God,  that  I  will  send  a  famine  in  the  land, 
not  a  famine  of  bread,  nor  a  thirst  for  water,  but  of  hearing 
the  words  of  the  Lord:  and  they  shall  wander  from  sea  to 
sea,  and  from  the  north  even  to  the  east,  they  shall  run  to  and 
fro  to  seek  the  word  of  the  Lord,  and  shall  not  find  it." 


240  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

(Amos  8:11,12.)  The  proclamation  of  the  word  of  the 
Lord  is,  and  always  has  been,  dependent  upon  the  authority 
of  the  holy  priesthood. 

How  could  they  hear  without  a  preacher,  and  how  shall 
they  preach  except  they  be  sent? 

The  Gentiles  among  whom  the  priesthood  had  been  es- 
tablished, and  the  gospel  preached,  fell  away  also  after  the 
example  of  unbelief  and  the  manner  of  the  Jews,  or  children 
of  Israel.  God  who  spared  not  the  natural  branches,  also 
cut  off  the  engrafted  ones,  and  "Mystery,  Babylon  the  Great, 
the  mother  of  harlots  and  abominations  of  the  earth,"  was 
set  up  as  foretold  by  the  Prophet  Daniel  and  the  Apostle 
John.  This  power  made  war  with  the  Saints,  and  overcame 
them,  changed  times  and  laws,  "wore  out  the  Saints  of  the 
Most  High,"  was  drunken  with  their  blood  and  with  the 
blood  of  the  martyrs  of  Jesus,  and  destroyed  the  holy  peo- 
ple. But  this  mystical  power,  in  turn,  is  to  be  overcome  and, 
in  the  due  time  of  the  Lord,  utterly  destroyed. 

Before  this  great  event  shall  occur  must  come  to  pass 
the  restoration  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  the  establishment 
of  the  kingdom  of  God  again  on  the  earth,  with  all  the  pow- 
ers and  blessings  of  the  holy  priesthood,  concerning  which 
we  have  the  most  positive  assurances.  The  declarations  of 
the  sacred  writers  of  the  Bible  and  the  Book  of  Mormon  not 
only  affirm  the  restoration  of  all  things  spoken  of  by  holy 
prophets  relative  to  this  great  event,  but  also  that  this  king- 
dom shall  no  more  be  thrown  down,  nor  be  left  to  another 
people,  nor  cease  until  the  whole  earth  shall  be  rilled  with 
the  brightness  of  its  glory,  with  its  truths,  its  power,  might, 
majesty  and  dominion,  and  that  the  kingdom  and  the  great- 
ness thereof  under  the  whole  heaven  will  be  given  unto  the 
Saints  of  the  Most  High  God,  and  they  shall  possess  it  for- 
ever. The  declaration  of  this  truth  is  even  now  very  galling 
to  the  unbelieving  world,  and  to  those  who  reject  the  truth, 
nevertheless  the  Saints  will  inherit  the  blessings,  and  the 


PRIESTHOOD  241 

word  of  God  will  come  to  pass,  however  much  the  wicked  ob- 
ject to  it,  or  whether  we  as  the  beginners  in  the  great  cause 
endure  faithful  to  the  end  and  realize  the  promise  or  not. 
This  great  and  glorious  redemption  will  be  consummated 
through  the  power  and  agencies  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  God 
has  ever  dealt,  and  will  always  deal,  with  the  children  of 
men ;  for  this  priesthood  "administered!  the  gospel  and 
holdeth  the  key  of  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom,  even  the 
key  of  the  kingdom  of  God;  therefore,  in  the  ordinances 
thereof  and  the  authority  of  the  priesthood,  the  power  of 
God  is  not  manifest  to  men  in  the  flesh ;  for  without  this  no 
man  can  see  the  face  of  God,  even  the  Father,  and  live." 

The  lesser  priesthood  holdeth  the  key  of  the  minister- 
ing of  angels  and  the  preparatory  gospel;  which  gospel  is 
the  gospel  of  repentance  and  of  baptism,  and  the  remission 
of  sins,  which  continued  "with  the  house  of  Aaron  among 
the  children  of  Israel  until  John,  whom  God  raised  up,  being 
filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  from  his  mother's  womb."  He, 
John,  "was  baptized  while  he  was  yet  in  his  childhood,  and 
was  ordained  by  the  angel  of  God  at  the  time  he  was  eight 
days  old  unto  this  power,  to  overthrow  the  kingdom  of  the 
Jews,  and  to  make  straight  the  way  of  the  Lord  before  the 
face  of  his  people,  to  prepare  them  for  the  coming  of  the 
Lord,  in  whose  hand  is  given  all  power."  (Doc.  and  Cov. 
86:26-28.) 

It  was  the  same  John  who  appeared  to  Joseph  Smith 
and  Oliver  Cowdery,  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  May,  1829,  and 
conferred  upon  them  the  Aaronic  priesthood  with  all  its  keys 
and  power.  The  ordination  was  in  the  following  words: 

"Upon  you  my  fellow  servants,  in  the  name  of  Messiah, 
I  confer  the  Priesthood  of  Aaron,  which  holds  the  keys  of 
the  ministering  of  angels,  and  of  the  gospel  of  repentance, 
and  of  baptism  by  immersion  for  the  remission  of  sins ;  and 
this  shall  never  be  taken  again  from  the  earth,  until  the  sons 
of  Levi  do  offer  again  an  offering  unto  the  Lord  in  righteous- 

17 


242  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

ness."  There  is  nothing  said  here  about  the  offices  of  this 
priesthood.  They  were  an  after  consideration.  I  will  re- 
mark here  that  the  priesthood  is  greater  than  the  offices 
which  grew  out  of  it,  and  are  mere  appendages  to  it,  "all 
other  authorities  or  offices  in  the  Church  are  appendages  to 
this  priesthood" — meaning  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood. 
But  there  are  two  divisions  or  grand  heads  (not  three  nor 
many)  ;  one  is  the  Melchizedek  priesthood,  and  the  other  is 
the  Aaronic,  or  Levitical  priesthood.  The  offices  in  the 
priesthood  are  necessary  appendages  thereof — for  the  pur- 
poses of  order  and  government,  and  the  duties  of  these  sev- 
eral offices  are  defined  in  the  revelations  and  laws  and  com- 
mandments of  God. 

This  most  sacred  and  important  event,  above  quoted, 
occurred  at  or  near  a  place  called  Harmony,  in  Susquehanna 
county,  Pennylvania,  while  Joseph  Smith  was  living  there, 
engaged  in  the  translation  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and 
Oliver  Cowdery  was  writing  for  him.  We  have  not,  unfor- 
tunately, any  account  so  definite,  of  the  reception  by  Joseph 
and  Oliver,  of  the  Melchizedek  priesthood  as  we  have  the 
confirmation  of  the  Aaronic  priesthood.  But  we  have  pos- 
itive information  and  knowledge  that  they  did  receive  this 
priesthood  at  the  hand's  of  Peter,  James  and  John,  to  whom 
the  keys  and  power  thereof  were  committed  by  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  who  were  commissioned  to  restore  it  to 
the  earth  in  the  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of  times.  We 
cannot  fix  the  exact  date  when  this  priesthood  was  restored, 
but  it  occurred  some  time  .between  the  15th  of  May,  1829, 
and  the  6th  of  April,  1830.  We  can  approximate  to  with- 
in a  few  months  of  the  exact  time,  but  no  further,  from  any 
of  the  records  of  the  Church.  Joseph,  the  Prophet,  des- 
ignates the  place  where  their  ordination  took  place,  in  his  ad- 
dress to  the  Saints  (sec.  128:20)  written  in  1842,  as  follows: 

"Again  what  do  we  hear?  *  *  the  voice  of 

Peter,  James,  and  John,  in  the  wilderness  between  Har- 


PRIESTHOOD  243 

mony,  Susquehanna  county,  and  Colesville,  Broome  county, 
on  the  Susquehanna  river,  declaring  themselves  as  posses- 
ing  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  the  dispensation  of  the  ful- 
ness of  times."  And  in  a  revelation  given  September,  1830, 
referring  to  Joseph  and  Oliver,  the  Lord  said  in  reference 
to  partaking  again  of  the  Sacrament  on  the  earth,  that  "the 
hour  cometh  that  I  will  drink  of  the  fruit  of  the  vine  with 
you  on  the  earth,  and  with  Moroni,  *  *  *  and  also 
with  Elias,  *  *  *  and  also  John  the  son  of  Zach- 
arias,  *  *  *  which  John  I  have  sent  unto  you,  my  ser- 
vants, Joseph  Smith,  Jim.,  and  Oliver  Cowdery,  to  ordain  you 
unto  this  first  priesthood  which  you  have  received,  that  you 
might  be  called  and  ordained  even  as  Aaron :  and  also 
Elijah,  *  *  *  and  also  with  Joseph  and  Jacob,  and 
Isaac,  and  Abraham,  your  fathers,  by  whom  the  promises  re- 
main ;  and  also  with  Michael,  or  Adam,  the  father  of  all,  the 
prince  of  all,  the  ancient  of  days.  And  also  with  Peter,  and 
James,  and  John,  whom  I  have  sent  unto  )rou,  by  whom  I 
have  ordained  you  and  confirmed  you  to  be  apostles,  and 
especial  witnesses  of  my  name,  and  bear  the  keys  of  your 
ministry,  and  of  the  same  things  which  I  revealed  unto 
them:  unto  whom  I  have  committed  the  keys  of  my  king- 
dom, and  a  dispensation  of  the  gospel  for  the  last  times ;  and 
for  the  fulness  of  times,  in  the  which  I  will  gather  together  in 
one  all  things,  both  which  are  in  heaven,  and  which  are  on 
earth."  (Doc.  and  Cov.  27:5-13.) 

A  revelation  given  April,  1830,  sec.  20:2,3,  says: 
"Which  commandments  were  given  to  Joseph  Smith,  Jun., 
who  was  called  of  God,  and  ordained  an  apostle  of  Jesus 
Christ,  to  be  the  first  elder  of  this  Church;  and  to  Oliver 
Cowdery,  who  was  also  called  of  God,  an  apostle  of  Jesus 
Christ,  to  be  the  second  elder  of  this  Church,  and  ordained 
under  his  hand."  After  the  Melchizedek  priesthood  was 
conferred  upon  Joseph  and  Oliver,  by  the  ancient  apostles, 
they  were  commanded  to  ordain  each  the  other,  as  we  see  by 


244  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE, 

the  above  quotation,  and  the  10th  and  llth  verses  of  section 
21,  Doctrine  and  Covenants. 

It  would  appear  from  the  instructions  given  in  the  rev- 
elation, dated  June,  1829,  that  the  apostleship  had  been 
then  conferred  on  Joseph  Smith,  Oliver  Cowdery,  and  D'avid 
Whitmer.  If  this  supposition  is  correct,  it  reduces  the  pe- 
riod of  uncertainty  when  this  glorious  event  actually  took 
place  to  a  few  weeks,  or  from  the  middle  of  May  to  the 
end  of  June.  It  is  also  asserted  that  David  Whitmer  sup- 
posed the  event  to  have  taken  place  about  this  time.  It  is 
evident,  however,  that  David  received  the  apostleship  under 
the  hands  of  Joseph  and  Oliver,  and  was  not  present  when 
they  received  it  under  the  ministration  of  the  ancient  apos- 
tles. 

In  the  first  edition  of  the  Compendium  under  the  head- 
ing of  "Chronology  of  the  most  important  events  which 
have  transpired'  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints,  from  A.  D.  1820,  "to  1856,"  we  find  the  following 
brief  statement:  "June  6,  1831,  the  Melchizedek  priest- 
hood was  first  given."  This  detached  sentence  conveys  the 
idea  that  the  Melchizedek  priesthood  was  not  given  until 
fourteen  months  after  the  Church  was  established.  Many 
have  been  misled  and  others  greatly  puzzled  over  this  state- 
ment, knowing  that  "elders  were  ordained"  on  the  6th  day 
of  April,  1830,  a  year  and  two  months  before,  and  that  "the 
office  of  an  elder  comes  under  the  priesthood  of  Melchiz- 
edek." 

It  is  a  pity  that  greater  attention  is  not  paid  to  matters 
of  history,  for  then  such  mistakes  would  not  occur.  Several 
errors  of  this  character  have  crept  into  history  through  neg- 
lect or  want  of  proper  attention  to  the  subjects.  The  pas- 
sage of  history  from  which  this  brief  and  misleading  extract 
was  taken  reads  as  follows:  "On  the  sixth  of  June  (1831) 
the  elders  from  the  various  parts  of  the  country  where  they 
were  laboring,  came  in ;  and  the  conference  before  appointed, 


PRIESTHOOD  245 

convened  in  Kirtland;  and  the  Lord  displayed  his  power  in 
a  manner  that  could  not  be  mistaken.  The  man  of  sin  was 
revealed,  and  the  authority  of  the  Melchizedek  priesthood 
was  manifested,  and  conferred  for  the  first  time  upon  several 
of  the  elders."  Now,  if  this  does  not  mean  that  on  this  oc- 
casion several  elders  received  their  first  ordination,  then  it 
must  mean  that  these  several  elders  who  had  previously 
been  ordained,  then,  for  the  first  time,  received  the  power 
or  authority  of  their  ordinations.  The  words  "conferred  for 
the  first  time  upon  several  of  the  elders,"  would  seem  at  first 
glance  to  mean  that  several  were  then  ordained  elders,  but 
taking  the  complete  sentence  together,  namely,  "The  man  of 
sin  was  revealed,  and  the  authority  of  the  Melchizedek 
priesthood  was  manifested,  and  conferred  for  the  first  time 
upon  several  of  the  elders,"  we  naturally  conclude  that  sev- 
eral who  had  previously  been  ordained  elders,  had  not  yet  re- 
ceived the  spirit,  or  power,  or  authority  of  their  ordinations, 
but  that  now  for  the  first  time,  the  authority  of  the  priest- 
hood having  been  manifested,  it  fell  upon  them.  It  is  evi- 
dent from  the  context  that  the  word  authority  as  used  in 
this  quotation  means  power.  It  reads  as  follows :  "It  was 
clearly  evident  that  the  Lord  gave  us  power  in  proportion 
to  the  work  to  be  done,  and  strength  according  to  the  race 
before  us,  and  grace  and  help  as  our  needs  required."  That 
several  persons  were  ordained  on  that  occasion  is  directly 
stated,  as  follows :  "Great  harmony  prevailed ;  several  were 
ordained;  faith  was  strengthened;  and  humility,  so  neces- 
sary for  the  blessing  of  God  to  follow  prayer,  characterized 
the  Saints."  One  thing  is  perfectly  clear,  and  that  is,  no 
reference  whatever  is  here  made  to  the  restoration  of  the 
Melchizedek  priesthood  by  Peter,  James  and  John,  which 
great  event  occurred,  without  doubt,  between  May  and  July, 
1829.  However,  until  about  the  time  this  conference  was 
held,  the  term  Melchizedek  priesthood  was  seldom  or  never 


246  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

used.  The  High  priesthood,  or  the  Holy  priesthood,  were 
the  terms  generally  applied  until  then. 

Thus  this  glorious  priesthood,  which  "is  after  the  holi- 
est order  of  God,"  has  been  restored  to  man  in  its  plenitude 
and  power  in  the  present  age  for  the  "last  times,"  and  no 
part  of  it  will  be  "taken  from  the  earth  again  until  the  sons 
of  Levi  do  offer  again  an  offering  unto  the  Lord  in  right- 
eousness," or  "until  God  shall  gather  together  in  one  all 
things,  both  which  are  in  heaven  and  which  are  on  earth."  In 
conclusion  I  will  call  the  attention  of  the  readers  of  this  to 
sections  5,  13,  27,  84,  107,  110  and  128  of  the  Doctrine  and 
Covenants  for  further  reflection  on  the  subject. — Contrib- 
utor, Vol.  10,  1899,  pp.  307-311. 

TRIBUTE  TO  HEBER  C.  KIM  BALL.  My  first  remem- 
brance of  President  Heber  C.  Kimball  goes  back  to  the  days 
of  my  childhood.  He  was  a  familiar  and  prominent  fig- 
ure in  my  mind  in  Nauvoo,  Illinois,  as  the  father  of  his  sons, 
William,  Heber,  and  David,  with  whom,  as  a  little  boy,  I 
was  more  intimate,  although  the  two  former  were  several 
years  my  seniors.  I  also  recall  him  in  those  early  days  as 
the  possessor  of  one  of  the  best  homes  in  the  City  of  Nauvoo, 
and  as  the  husband  of  "Aunt"  Vilate  Kimball,  one  of  the 
dearest,  kindest,  most  motherly  souls  who  ever  came  within 
the  range  of  my  memory  or  acquaintance;  and  also  as  the 
father  of  Helen  M.  Kimball,  a  beautiful  young  woman,  very 
much  resembling  her  mother  in  appearance,  and  who  was 
somewhat  noted  in  the  Smith  family  as  being  in  some  way 
related  to  it,  and  who,  after  the  death  of  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith,  was  married  to  Horace  K.  Whitney,  and 
became  the  mother  of  our  present  poet  and  historian,  Orson 
F.  Whitney. 

One  of  my  most  distinct  recollections  of  President  Kim- 
ball was  in  the  winter  of  1845-6,  in  the  Nauvoo  temple.  My 
mother,  and  her  sister,  Mercy  R.  Thompson,  were  much  en- 
gaged in  the  work  going  on  in  the  temple  that  winter,  and 


PRIESTHOOD  247 

President  Kimball  was  also  associated  with  the  work  being 
done  there.  It  was  there  that  my  father's  children  were 
sealed  to  their  parents,  and  President  Kimball  officiated. 

In  February,  1846,  President  Kimball  took  up  the  line 
of  march,  with  the  Twelve  and  the  Saints  who  were  driven 
out  of  Nauvoo,  for  their  long  journey  into  the  wilderness, 
which  eventually  led  to  the  occupancy  of  the  valley  of  the 
Great  Salt  Lake,  the  settlement  of  Utah,  by  the  Saints,  and 
the  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy  by  Joseph  Smith,  that  the 
Saints  should  gather  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  incident  which  more  particularly  specialized  this 
departure  of  President  Kimball  to  my  mind,  was  the  fact 
that  my  brother  John,  now  the  patriarch,  and  then  a  boy 
of  about  twelve  years,  accompanied  President  Kimball  and 
family  on  their  pilgrimage  into  the  unknown  wilderness, 
leaving  us  in  Nauvoo  in  great  fear  and  doubt  as  to  whether 
we  should  ever  see  them  again  or  not.  This  made  an  indel- 
ible impression  upon  my  mind,  and  ever  since  there  seemed 
to  be  an  inseverable  tie  connecting  us  with  President  Kim- 
ball and  his  family. 

In  1848  we  crossed  the  plains  in  a  subdivision  of  Pres- 
ident Kimball's  company.  He  baptized  me  in  City  Creek, 
in  1850,  where  the  junction  of  East  and  North  Temple  streets 
now  is. 

In  July,  1852,  while  attending  a  meeting  which  was 
held  in  Salt  Lake  City,  my  mother  was  taken  sick,  and 
went  to  the  home  of  President  Kimball,  where  she  remained 
during  her  last  illness ;  under  the  care  of  Aunt  Vilate.  This 
brought  me  almost  constantly  for  months  directly  in  contact 
with  President  Kimball  and  family. 

It  was  here  I  became  more  familiar  with  his  home  life 
and  habits.  I  was  greatly  impressed,  and  moved  by  his  man- 
ner of  praying  in  his  family.  I  have  never  heard  any  other 
man  pray  as  he  did.  He  did  not  speak  to  the  Lord  as  one 
afar  off,  but  as  if  conversing  with  him  face  to  face.  Time 


248  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

and  again  I  have  been  so  impressed  with  the  idea  of  the 
actual  presence  of  God,  while  he  was  conversing  with  him 
in  prayer,  that  I  could  not  refrain  from  looking  up  to  see 
if  he  were  actually  present  and  visible.  While  President 
Kimball  was  very  strict  in  his  family,  he  was  ever  kind  and 
tender  towards  them. 

I  sometimes  thought  he  was  even  kinder  to  me  than  to 
his  own  boys.  I  have  heard  him  reprove  them,  but  no  word 
of  reproof  ever  fell  from  his  lips  upon  me.  Later,  through 
him,  I  was  sent  on  my  first  mission.  No  better  or  kinder 
thing  was  ever  done  for  me.  It  gave  me  four  years  of  ex- 
perience and  seasoning  which  fixed  my  whole  course  of  life, 
and  it  came  just  at  the  right  time  to  the  boy  that  I  was. 

Later  I  was  associated  with  him  in  the  Endowment 
House,  where  I  served  with  him  and  under, his  direction  for 
years.  This  brought  me  into  the  most  intimate  relation  with 
him,  and  gave  to  each  of  us  the  most  complete  and  perfect 
opportunity  of  becoming  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
other.  I  learned  to  love  him  with  the  truest  love,  and  the 
many  evidences  of  his  love  and  confidences  in  me  are  beyond 
all  question. 

My  latest  recollections  of  him  are  associated  with  a 
most  unusual  call  made  upon  a  number  of  brethren  in  1861, 
by  President  Brigham  Young,  to  accompany  him  on  a  mis- 
sion to  Provo.  Among  these  were  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Wil- 
ford  Woodruff,  Abraham  O.  Smoot,  Elijah  F.  Sheets, 
George  G.  Bywater  and  myself.  These  brethren  all  located 
in  Provo  with  President  Young,  and  those  of  the  number 
possessed  of  means  (President  Young  and  Kimball,  and 
Elders  Smoot  and  Sheets)  proceeded  at  once  to  build  them- 
selves homes  there. 

It  was  while  President  Kimball  was  engaged  in  build- 
ing and  preparing  a  place  for  a  portion  of  his  family  in 
Provo,  that  he  met  with  an  accident  from  which  he  did  not 
recover,  and  soon  after,  Monday,  June  22,  1868,  came  his 


PRIESTHOOD  249 

final  summons  to  meet  the  actual  presence  of  the  gracious 
Father,  with  whom  he  had,  in  prayer,  so  long  and  truly 
counseled,  as  if  face  to  face  with  him,  and  whom  he  had 
devotedly  served  to  the  last  moment. 

President  Heber  C.  Kimball  was  one  of  God's  noble- 
men. True  as  steel  to  every  trust.  Pure  as  refined  gold. 
Fearless  of  foes  or  of  death.  Keen  of  perception,  full  of 
the  spirit  of  the  prophets.  Inspired  of  God.  Valiant  in  the 
testimony  of  Christ ;  a  lifelong,  undeviating  friend  and  wit- 
ness of  the  divine  calling  and  mission  of  Joseph  Smith.  He 
was  called  by  the  grace  of  God,  ordained  by  living  author- 
ity, and  lived  and  died  an  apostle  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
-Young  Woman's  Journal,  Vol.  20,  1909,  pp.  251-252. 

TRIBUTE  TO  ERASTUS  SNOW.  My  earliest  vivid  recol- 
lection of  Elder  Erastus  Snow  was  in  the  fall  of  1848,  just 
after  my  arrival  in  Salt  Lake  valley.  I  had  the  privilege 
of  listening  to  a  most  excellent  discourse  by  him  in  the 
bowery,  at  the  north  side  of  the  old  Pioneer  fort.  This  dis- 
course so  impressed  itself  and  the  speaker,  upon  my  mind, 
that  it  and  he  ever  after  held  a  most  distinguished  place 
in  my  memory.  As  an  orator  and  profound  reasoner,  I  al- 
ways felt  impressed  that  he  had  no  superior,  especially 
when  he  warmed  up  to  his  subject,  and  entered  into  his 
discourse  with  the  full  force  and  energy  of  his  active  and 
vigorous  mind. 

As  a  counselor,  his  wisdom  was  manifest  from  every 
point  of  view. 

As  a  colonizer  and  builder,  from  the  pioneer  days  to 
the  completion  of  his  work,  he  was  equal  to  the  foremost  of 
his  associates.  In  point  of  endurance  and  perseverance  in 
whatever  he  engaged,  he  was  untiring  and  almost  inex- 
haustible. 

As  a  legislator  or  statesman,  he  was  the  peer  of  any  of 
his  associates,  among  whom  were  builders  of  this  common- 
wealth. One  of  the  marked  peculiarities  of  his  character 


250  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

was  continuity  and  perseverance  in  whatever  he  undertook 
to  do,  until  his  object  was  attained  and  his  purpose  accom- 
plished. Nothing  could  turn  him  aside  from  the  discharge 
of  his  duty.  He  was,  without  doubt,  a  chosen  and  an 
effective  instrument  in  the  hind  of  God  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  mission  assigned  him,  in  which  he  always  con- 
centrated his  mind,  and  threw  che  whole  force  of  his  vig- 
orous and  noble  spirit. 

As  the  head  of  a  numerous  family,  he  was  an  example 
to  all  mankind.  His  friendship  was  always  true  and  bound- 
less. I  esteem  him  as  one  of  the  great  men,  not  only  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  but  of  the 
world.— Improvement  Era,  Vol.  14,  Feb.,  1911,  p.  280. 

PURPOSE  OF  VISITS  OF  CHURCH  LEADERS.  We  have 
come  to  see  the  condition  and  the  spirit  of  the  Latter-day 
Saints,  and  to  present  ourselves  before  them ;  that  they  may 
judge  us  by  what  we  say  and  by  the  spirit  we  bring,  as  to 
whether  we  are  in  fellowship  with  them  and  with  the  Lord ; 
and  that  they  may  see  whether  we  measure  up  to  the  stand- 
ards that  they  expect  in  those  who  stand  at  the  head  of  the 
Church.— Improvement  Era,  Vol.  21,  December,  1917,  p.  98. 


CHAPTER    X 
Spiritual  Gifts 

THE  GIFT  OF  TONGUES.  The  devil  himself  can  appear 
like  an  angel  of  light.  False  prophets  and  false  teachers 
have  arisen  in  the  world.  There  is  perhaps  no  gift  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  more*  easily  imitated  by  the  devil  than  the  gift 
of  tongues.  Where  two  men  or  women  exercise  the  gift  of 
tongues  by  the  inspiration  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  there  are 
a  dozen  perhaps  who  do  it  by  the  inspiration  of  the  devil. 
Bless  your  souls,  apostates  speak  in  tongues,  apostates 
prophesy,  apostates  claim  to  have  marvelous  manifestations. 
And  what  is  that  to  us  ?  The  trouble  is,  we  know  so  little 
of  the  truth  ourselves,  and  we  live  by  it  so  poorly,  that  almost 
any  little  jackanapes  in  the  country  may  rise  up  and  claim 
he  has  had  a  vision  or  some  marvelous  dream,  and  however 
absurd  or  untrue  it  may  be,  he  may  find  believers  and  fol- 
lowers among  those  who  profess  to  be  Latter-day  Saints. 

I  believe  in  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  unto  men,  but 
I  do  not  want  the  gift  of  tongues,  except  when  I  need  it.  I 
needed  the  gift  of  tongues  once,  and  the  Lord  gave  it  to  me. 
I  was  in  a  foreign  land,  sent  to  preach  the  gospel  to  a  peo- 
ple whose  language  I  could  not  understand.  Then  I  sought 
earnestly  for  the  gift  of  tongues,  and  by  this  gift  and  by 
study,  in  a  hundred  days  after  landing  upon  those  islands, 
I  could  talk  to  the  people  in  their  language  as  I  now  talk 
to  you  in  my  native  tongue.  This  was  a  gift  that  was 
worthy  of  the  gospel.  There  was  a  purpose  in  it.  There 
was  something  in  it  to  strengthen  my  faith,  to  encourage 
me  and  to  help  me  in  my  ministry.  If  you  have  need  of  this 
gift  of  tongues,  seek  for  it  and  God  will  help  you  in  it.  But 
I  do  not  ask  you  to  be  very  hungry  for  the  gift  of  tongues, 


252  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

for  if  you  are  not  careful  the  devil  will  deceive  you  in  it. 
He  can  talk  by  the  gift  of  tongues  as  well  as  the  Lord  can. 
Paul  did  not  seem  to  care  much  about  the  gift  of  tongues 
either.  He  said  to  the  Corinthians : 

"I  had  rather  speak  five  words  with  my  understanding, 
that  by  my  voice  I  might  teach  others  also,  than  ten  thou- 
sand words  in  an  unknown  tongue." — 1  Cor.  14:19. 

So  far  as  I  am  concerned,  if  the  Lord'  will  give  me 
ability  to  teach  the  people  in  my  native  /tongue,  or  in  their 
own  language  to  the  understanding  of  those  who  hear  me, 
that  will  be  sufficient  gift  of  tongues  to  me.  Yet  if  the  Lord 
gives  you  the  gift  of  tongues,  do  not  despise  it,  do  not  reject 
it.  For  if  it  comes  from  the  Spirit  of  God,  it  will  come  to 
those  who  are  worthy  to  receive  it,  and  it  is  all  right.  But 
this  idea  of  seeking  it,  desiring  it,  when  you  don't  pay  your 
tithing,  when  you  don't  pray  in  your  families,  when  you  don't 
pay  your  debts,  when  you  desecrate  the  Sabbath  day,  and 
when  you  neglect  other  duties  in  the  Church ;  I  tell  you.  the 
devil  will  take  advantage  of  you  bye  and  bye,  if  he  does  not 
at  first.—  Apr.  C.  R.,  1900,  p.  41. 

THE  SACRAMENT  OF  THE  LORD'S  SUPPER.  The  Sacra- 
ment of  the  Lord's  Supper  is  a  very  important  and  sacred 
ordinance ;  however  simple  it  may  appear  to  our  minds,  it  is 
one  which  will  add  to  our  acceptance  before  God,  or  to  our 
condemnation. 

It  was  instituted  by  the  Savior  in  the  place  of  the  law  of 
sacrifice  which  was  given  to  Adam,  and  which  continued 
with  his  children  down  to  the  days  of  Christ,  but  which  was 
fulfilled  in  his  death,  he  being  the  great  sacrifice  for  sin,  of 
which  the  sacrifices  enjoined  in  the  law  given  to  Adam  were 
a  similitude. 

The  Lord  designed  in  the  beginning  to  place  before  man 
the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  and  gave  him  a  command- 
ment to  cleave  to  good  and  abstain  from  evil.  But  if  he 


SPIRITUAL  GIFTS  253 

should  fail,  he  would  give  to  him  the  law  of  sacrifice  and 
provide  a  Savior  for  him,  that  he  might  be  brought  back 
again  into  the  presence  and  favor  of  God  and  partake  of 
eternal  life  with  him.  This  was  the  plan  of  redemption 
chosen  and  instituted  by  the  Almighty  before  man  was 
placed  on  the  earth.  And  when  man  did  fall  by  trans- 
gressing the  law  which  was  given  him,  the  Lord  gave  to 
him  the  law  of  sacrifice,  and  made  it  clear  to  his  understand- 
ing, that  it  was  for  the  purpose  of  reminding  him  of  that 
great  event  that  should  transpire  in  the  meridian  of  time, 
whereby  he  and  all  his  posterity  might  be  brought  forth  by 
the  power  of  redemption  and  resurrection  from  the  dead,  and 
partake  of  eternal  life  with  God  in  his  kingdom.  For  this 
reason  Adam  and  his  posterity,  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion, observed  this  law,  and  continually  looked  forward  to  a 
time  when  there  should  be  provided  for  them  a  means  of 
redemption  from  the  fall  and  restoration  from  death  to  life, 
for  death  was  the  penalty  of  the  law  transgressed,  which 
man  was  powerless  to  avert,  the  fiat  of  God  being, 
"In  the  day  that  thou  eatest  thereof,  thou  shalt  surely 
die,"  and  this  penalty  was  to  follow  upon  all  flesh,  all 
being  as  helpless  and  dependent  as  he  was  in  this  mat- 
ter. Their  only  hope  of  redemption  from  the  grave  and 
the  power  of  death  was  in  the  Savior  whom  God  had 
promised,  who  should  suffer  death,  but  being  without  sin, 
having  himself  never  transgressed  any  law,  being  without 
blemish,  pure  and  holy,  he  should  have  power  to  break  the 
bands  of  death  and  from  the  grave  rise  to  immortal  life, 
thereby  opening  the  way  for  all  who  should  follow  him  in 
the  regeneration  to  come  forth  to  life  again,  redeemed  from 
the  penalty  of  the  law,  and  from  the  sin  of  transgression  to 
eternal  life.  In  anticipation,  therefore,  of  this  great  sacri- 
fice which  was  to  be  offered  for  Adam  and  his  seed,  they 
offered  sacrifices  more  or  less  acceptable,  and  in  conform- 
ity to  the  pattern  given,  in  proportion  to  the  knowledge  oi 


254  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

God  and  of  the  gospel  which  they  had,  and  their  faithfulness 
from  generation  to  generation,  to  the  days  of  Jesus. 

They  would  take  the  firstlings  of  their  flocks,  the  best 
fruits  of  their  fields,  and  those  things  which  were  emblematic 
of  purity,  innocence,  and  perfection  symbolical  of  him  who 
was  without  sin,  and  as  "a  lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world,"  and  offer  sacrifices  unto  God  in  memory  of  him, 
and  the  matchless  and  wonderful  deliverance  to  be  wrought 
out  for  them  by  him. 

Undoubtedly  the  knowledge  of  this  law  and  of  other 
rites  and  ceremonies  was  carried  by  the  posterity  of  Adam 
into  all  lands,  and  continued  with  them,  more  or  less  pure,  to 
the  flood,  and  through  Noah,  who  was  a  "preacher  of  right- 
eousness," to  those  who  succeeded  him,  spreading  out  in  all 
nations  and  countries,  Adam  and  Noah  being  the  first  of 
their  dispensations  to  receive  them  from  God.  What  won- 
der then  that  we  should  find  relics  of  Christianity  so  to  speak, 
among  the  heathens,  and  nations  who  know  not  Christ,  and 
whose  histories  date  back  beyond  the  days  of  Moses,  and 
even  beyond  the  flood,  independent  of  and  apart  from  the 
records  of  the  Bible.  The  ground  taken  by  infidels,  that 
"Christianity"  sprang  from  the  heathen,  it  being  found  that 
they  have  many  rites  similar  to  those  recorded  in  the  Bible, 
etc.,  is  only  a  vain  and  foolish  attempt  to  blind  the  eyes  of 
men  and  dissuade  them  from  their  faith  in  the  Redeemer  of 
the  world,  and  from  their  belief  in  the  Scriptures  of  divine 
truth,  for  if  the  heathen  have  doctrines  and  ceremonies  re- 
sembling to  some  extent  those  which  are  recorded  in  the 
Scriptures,  it  only  proves,  what  is  plain  to  the  Saints,  that 
these  are  the  traditions  of  the  fathers  handed  down  from 
generation  to  generation,  from  Adam,  through  Noah,  and 
that  they  will  cleave  to  the  children  to  the  latest  generation, 
though  they  may  wander  into  darkness  and  perversion,  until 
but  a  slight  resemblance  to  their  origin,  which  was  divine, 
can  be  seen.  *  *  * 


SPIRITUAL  GIFTS  255 

The  ordinances  of  the  gospel  have  been  restored  in  their 
purity.  We  know  why  the  law  of  sacrifice  was  given  to 
Adam,  and  how  it  is  that  relics  of  the  gospel  are  found 
among  the  heathen. 

When  Jesus  came  and  suffered,  "'the  just  for  the  un- 
just," he  that  was  without  sin  for  him  that  had  sinned,  and 
was  subject  to  the  penalty  of  the  law  which  the  sinner  had 
transgressed,  the  law  of  sacrifice  was  fulfilled,  and  instead 
thereof  he  gave  another  law,  which  we  call  the  "Sacrament 
of  the  Lord's  Supper,"  by  which  his  life  and  mission,  his 
death  and  resurrection,  the  great  sacrifice  he  had  offered  for 
the  redemption  of  man,  should  be  kept  in  everlasting  re- 
membrance, for,  said  he,  "this  do  in  remembrance  of  me,  for 
as  often  as  ye  eat  this  bread,  and  drink  of  this  cup,  ye  do  show 
the  Lord's  death  till  he  come."  Therefore  this  law  is  to  us 
what  the  law  of  sacrifice  was  to  those  who  lived  prior  to 
the  first  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man,  until  he  shall  come 
again.  Therefore,  we  must  honor  and  keep  it  sacredly, 
for  there  is  a  penalty  attached  to  its  violation,  as  we  shall 
see  by  reading  the  words  of  Paul  (1  Cor.  11 :27-30)  : 

"Wherefore  whosoever  shall  eat  this  bread,  and  drink 
this  cup  of  the  Lord,  unworthily,  shall  be  guilty  of  the  body 
and  blood  of  the  Lord. 

''But  let  a  man  examine  himself,  and  so  let  him  eat  of 
that  bread,  and  drink  of  that  cup. 

"For  he  that  eateth  and  drinketh  unworthily,  eateth 
and  drinketh  damnation  to  himself,  not  discerning  the  Lord's 
body. 

"For  this  cause  many  are  weak  and  sickly  among  you, 
and  many  sleep." 

And  it  is  even  more  plainly  given  in  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, which  I  will  read  (III  Nephi  18:26-29)  : 

"And  now  it  came  to  pass  that  when  Jesus  had  spoken 
these  words,  he  turned  his  eyes  again  upon  the  disciples 
whom  he  had  chosen,  and  said  unto  them,  behold  verily, 


256  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

verily  I  say  unto  you,  I  give  unto  you  another  command- 
ment, and  then  I  must  go  unto  my  Father,  that  I  may  fulfil 
other  commandments  which  he  hath  given  me.  And  now 
behold,  this  is  the  commandment  which  I  give  unto  you,  that 
ye  shall  not  suffer  any  one  knowingly,  to  partake  of  my  flesh 
and  blood  unworthily,  when  ye  shall  minister  it;  for  whoso 
eateth  and  drinketh  my  flesh  and  blood  unworthily,  eateth 
and  drinketh  damnation  to  his  soul;  therefore  if  ye  know 
that  a  man  is  unworthy  to  eat  and  drink  of  my  flesh  and 
blood,  ye  shall  forbid  him." 

These  are  some  of  the  injunctions  and  commandments 
that  are  given  in  relation  to  the  partaking  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per. Now  let  us  be  careful  what  we  do,  that  we  may  not 
incur  the  penalty  affixed  to  the  transgression  of  this  law,  re- 
membering that  the  ordinances  which  God  has  given  are 
sacred  and  binding,  that  his  laws  are  in  force,  especially  up- 
on all  that  have  covenanted  with  him  in  baptism,  and  upon 
all  unto  whom  they  come,  whether  they  embrace  them  or 
not,  as  Jesus  said,  "This  is  the  condemnation  of  the  world, 
that  light  has  come  into  the  world,  but  ye  love  darkness 
rather  than  light."  Therefore  all  men  will  be  held  account- 
able for  the  use  they  make  of  the  light  which  they  possess. 
For  this  reason  we  are  commanded  to  preach  the  gospel  un- 
to every  creature,  that  those  who  obey  and  are' baptized 
may  be  saved,  and  those  who  reject  it  may  be  condemned. 

I  bear  my  testimony  to  these  things.  I  know  that  Joseph 
Smith  was  and  is  a  Prophet  of  the  living  God,  and  President 
Young  is  also  a  prophet  of  God,  and  that  by  inspiration  and 
revelation,  and  not  of  man.  God  bless  you,  and  help  us  to 
be  faithful,  is  my  prayer  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  Amen. — 
Discourse  delivered  in  the  Thirteenth  Ward  Assembly 
Rooms,  Salt  Lake  City,  February  9,  1873.  Journal  of  Dis- 
courses, Vol.  15,  pp.  324-328. 

ORDER  OF  ADMINISTERING  TO  THE  SICK.  In  the  matter 
of  administering  to  the  sick,  according  to  the  order  and  prac- 


SPIRITUAL  GIFTS  257 

tice  established  in  the  Church,  care  should  be  taken  to  avoid 
unwarranted  repetitions.  When  an  administration  is  made, 
and  when  the  blessing  pronounced  upon  the  afflicted  one  has 
been  received,  the  ordinance  should  not  be  repeated,  rather 
let  the  time  be  given  to  prayer  and  thanksgiving  for  the  man- 
ifestation of  divine  power  already  granted  and  realized.  No 
limit  should  be  or  can  be  set  to  the  offering  of  prayer  and 
the  rendering  of  praise  to  the  Giver  of  Good,  for  we  are 
specially  told  to  pray  without  ceasing,  and  no  special  author- 
ity of  the  priesthood  or  standing  in  the  Church  is  essential 
to  the  offering  of  prayer;  but  the  actual  administration  by 
anointing  with  oil  and  by  the  imposition  of  hands  by  those 
who  hold  the  proper  office  in  the  priesthood  is  an  authori- 
tative ordinance,  too  sacred  in  its  nature  to  be  performed 
lightly,  or  to  be  repeated  loosely  when  the  blessing  has  been 
gained. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  38,  January,  1902,  p.  18. 

THE  USE  OF  A  TESTIMONY.  The  sanctity  of  a  true  tes- 
timony should  inspire  a  thoughtful  care  as  to  its  use.  That 
testimony  is  not  to  be  forced  upon  everybody,  nor  is  it  to  be 
proclaimed  at  large  from  the  housetop.  It  is  not  to  be 
voiced  merely  to  "fill  up  the  time"  in  a  public  meeting;  far 
less  to  excuse  or  disguise  the  speaker's  poverty  of  thought 
or  ignorance  of  the  truth  he  is  called  to  expound. 

The  individual  testimony  is  a  personal  possession.  One 
cannot  give  his  testimony  to  another,  yet  he  is  able  to  aid 
his  earnest  brother  in  gaining  a  true  testimony  for  himself. 
The  over-zealous  missionary  may  be  influenced  by  the  mis- 
leading thought  that  the  bearing  of  his  testimony  to  those 
who  have  not  before  heard  the  gospel  message,  is  to  con- 
vince or  condemn,  as  the  hearers  accept  or  reject.  The  elder 
is  sent  into  the  field  to  preach  the  gospel — the  good  news  of 
its  restoration  to  earth,  showing  by  scriptural  evidence  the 
harmony  of  the  new  message  with  the  predictions  of  earlier 
times ;  expounding  the  truths  embodied  in  the  first  principles 
of  the  gospel ;  then  if  he  bears  his  testimony  under  divine 

18 


258  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

inspiration,  such  a  testimony  is  as  a  seal  attesting  the  genu- 
ineness of  the  truths  he  has  declared,  and  so  appealing  to 
the  receptive  soul  whose  ears  have  been  saluted  by  the 
heaven-sent  message. 

But  the  voicing  of  one's  testimony,  however  eloquently 
phrased  or  beautifully  expressed,  is  no  fit  or  acceptable  sub- 
stitute for  the  needed  discourse  of  instruction  and  counsel 
expected  in  a  general  gathering  of  the  people.  The  man 
who  professes  a  testimony  as  herein  described,  and  who  as- 
sumes that  his  testimony  embraces  all  the  knowledge  he 
needs,  and  who  therefore  lives  in  indolence  and  ignorance, 
shall  surely  discover  his  error  to  his  own  cost  and  loss.  A 
gift  from  God,  if  neglected,  or  unworthily  used,  is  in  time 
withdrawn ;  the  testimony  of  the  truth  will  not  remain  with 
one  who,  having  received,  uses  not  the  sacred  gift  in  the 
cause  of  individual  and  general  advancement. 

Search  out  the  truth  of  the  written  word;  listen  for 
and  receive  the  truth  declared  by  living  prophets  and  teach- 
ers; enrich  your  minds  with  the  best  of  knowledge  and 
facts.  Of  those  who  speak  in  his  name,  the  Lord  requires 
humility,  not  ignorance.  Intelligence  is  the  glory  of  God; 
and  no  man  can  be  saved  in  ignorance. 

Study  and  strive  to  acquire  the  knowledge  that  leads 
toward,  and  the  \visdom  that  shall  reach,  the  goal  of  life 
eternal.  Your  testimony  as  to  the  truth  of  the  restored 
gospel  may  operate  toward  salvation  or  condemnation  as  it 
is  used  or  misused. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  41,  August, 
1906,  p.  465. 

PURPOSE  AND  PRACTICE  OF  TESTIMONY  BEARING.  The 
practice  of  bearing  testimonies  once  a  month  in  the  Sabbath 
schools  has  become  so  general,  and  is  of  such  far-reaching 
importance  to  the  faith  and  happiness  of  our  young  people, 
that  a  word  of  caution  and  of  encouragement  may  be  help- 
ful at  this  time.  It  is  not  the  chief  purpose  of  testimony 
bearing  to  accumulate  physical  evidences  of  the  truth  of  the 


SPIRITUAL  GIFTS  259 

gospel.  It  is  not  so  much  argument  and  physical  demonstra- 
tion that  are  wanted  as  it  is  the  cultivation  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  within  the  hearts  of  the  children. 

Many  of  the  children  live  in  homes  where  there  is  com- 
paratively little  or  no  sickness,  and  perhaps  have  no  oppor- 
tunity whatever  to  witness  manifestations  of  divine  power 
in  the  healing  of  the  sick.  At  testimony  meetings,  these 
children  would  perhaps  have  little  to  say  if  the  idea  pre- 
vailed that  the  testimonies  of  the  children  were  to  consist 
chiefly,  if  not  wholly,  in  recounting  instances  of  healing 
through  the  administrations  of  the  elders. 

The  healing  of  the  sick  is  but  one  of  those  spiritual 
blessings  that  follow  those  who  have  faith,  and  the  bless- 
ing belongs  peculiarly  to  the  Church,  but  is  not  confined  ex- 
clusively to  those  who  are  members  of  the  Church.  In 
Christ's  day,  many  were  healed  who  were  strangers  to  his 
great  mission,  simply  through  their  faith  in  him,  or  that  the 
glory  of  God  might  be  made  manifest. 

Now,  the  healing  of  the  sick  is  simply  one  of  the  evi- 
dences ;  but  if  it  were  the  only  evidence  of  the  divinity  of 
this  work  it  would  be  insufficient,  because  in  the  organization 
of  the  Church,  the  existence  of  apostles,  the  gathering,  the 
payment  of  tithes  and  offerings,  the  laying  on  of  hands,  bap- 
tism, and  other  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  gospel  are  equally 
evidence  of  its  divine  origin,  and  the  importance  of  one 
ought  not  to  be  emphasized  at  the  neglect  of  any  other. 
The  fact  that  all  these  ordinances  and  principles  are  taught 
and  practiced  by  the  Saints  constitutes  a  convincing  argu- 
ment that  the  Church  is  now  the  same  as  it  was  in  the  days 
of  the  Master. 

Testimony-bearing  should  have  a  strong  educational  in- 
fluence upon  the  feelings  and  lives  of  the  children,  and  it 
is  intended  to  cultivate  within  them  feelings  of  thankfulness 
and  appreciation  for  the  blessings  they  enjoy.  The  Spirit 
of  God  may  work  within  the  life  of  a  child  and  make  the 


260  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

child  realize  and  know  that  this  is  the  work  of  God.  The 
child  knows  it  rather  because  of  the  Spirit  than  because  of 
some  physical  manifestation  which  he  may  have  witnessed. 
Our  testimony  meetings,  then,  should  have  as  one  of  their 
aims  the  cultivation  of  the  children's  feelings  of  gratitude 
not  only  toward  God,  but  toward  their  parents,  teachers  and 
neighbors.  It  is  advisable,  therefore,  to  cultivate  as  far  as 
possible  their  appreciation  for  the  blessings  that  they  enjoy. 

Testimony  bearing  is  chiefly  for  the  benefit  of  those 
who  bear  the  testimony  in  that  their  gratitude  and  appre- 
ciation are  deepened.  Testimony  bearing  is  not  the  accu- 
mulation of  arguments  or  evidences  solely  for  the  satisfac- 
tion and  testimony  of  others.  Let  the  testimonies,  then,  of 
the  young  people  include  the  training  of  their  feelings  by 
way  of  making  them  more  appreciative  and  more  thankful 
for  the  blessings  they  enjoy,  and  the  children  should  be  made 
to  understand  what  these  blessings  are  and  how  they  come 
to  them.  It  is  an  excellent  way  to  make  people  helpful  and 
thankful  to  others,  by  first  making  them  thankful  to  God. — 
Jm-cnilc  Instructor,  Vol.  38,  April,  1903,  p.  246. 

THE  TEMPORAL  AND  THE  SPIRITUAL  NOT  SEPARATE. 
You  must  continue  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  temporal  and  the 
spiritual  are  blended.  They  are  not  separate.  One  cannot 
be  carried  on  without  the  other,  so  long  as  we  are  here  in 
mortality.  The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
on  the  earth  is  a  physical  organization  as  well  as  a  spiritual 
organization.  We  need  practical  faith — that  is,  we  need  to 
practice  the  principles  of  our  faith.  Without  the  practice  of 
the  principles  of  the  gospel,  we  can  never  realize  our  hopes 
and  expectations  concerning  the  results  of  this  great  latter- 
day  work.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1900,  p.  46. 

SPIRITUAL  AND  TEMPORAL  SALVATION.  The  Latter-day 
Saints  believe  not  only  in  the  gospel  of  spiritual  salvation, 
but  also  in  the  gospel  of  temporal  salvation.  We  have  to 
look  after  the  cattle  and  the  sheep  and  the  horses,  the  gar- 


SPIRITUAL  GIFTS  261 

dens  and  the  farms,  the  irrigation  canals  and  ditches,  and 
other  necessary  things  for  the  maintenance  of  ourselves  and 
bur  families  in  the  earth.  In  this  respect  this  Church  is 
different  from  many  other  denominations.  We  do  not  feel 
that  it  is  possible  for  men  to  be  really  good  and  faithful 
Christian  people  unless  they  can  also  be  good,  faithful,  hon- 
est and  industrious  people.  Therefore,  we  preach  the  gos- 
pel of  industry,  the  gospel  of  economy,  the  gospel  of  sobri- 
ety. We  preach  that  the  idler  shall  not  eat  the  bread  of  the 
laborer,  and  that  the  idler  is  not  entitled  to  an  inheritance  in 
Zion.  We  preach  that  those  who  are  industrious,  those  who 
wrok,  those  who  through  their  integrity  and  industry  are 
good  citizens  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  are  better  citizens  of 
the  country  in  which  they  live  than  those  who  are  not  so 
diligent  in  this  regard.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1904,  p.  74. 

THE  GOSPEL  DESIGNED  FOR  TEMPORAL  BENEFITS,  ALSO. 
The  work  that  we  are  engaged  in  is  not  designed  to  be  lim- 
ited by  the  spiritual  necessities  of  the  people  alone.  It  is 
the  purpose  of  God  in  restoring  the  gospel  and  the  holy 
priesthood  not  only  to  benefit  mankind  spiritually,  but  also 
to  benefit  them  temporally.  The  Lord  has  expressed  this 
many  times,  in  the  word  that  he  gave  to  his  servant  Joseph 
Smith,  the  prophet;  he  designed  that  his  people  should  be- 
come the  richest  of  all  people.  And  this  not  only  means  the 
richest  of  all  people  in  heavenly  gifts — in  spiritual  blessings 
and  riches,  but  it  also  means  that  the  people  of  God  shall  be 
the  richest  of  all  people  with  regard  to  temporal  matters. 
If  faithful  we  have  a  right  to  claim  the  blessings  of  the 
Lord  upon  the  labor  of  our  hands,  our  temporal  labors.  The 
farmer  has  a  right  to  ask  the  Lord  for  blessings  upon  his 
farm,  upon  the  labor  that  he  bestows  upon  it.  He  has  a 
right  to  claim  the  blessings  of  the  Lord  upon  the  animals 
that  are  necessary  to  the  cultivation  of  his  farm.  He  has  a 
right  to  ask  God  to  bless  the  grain  that  he  sows  and  the 
seed's  of  the  fruit  that  he  plants  in  the  soil.  It  is  his  priv- 


262  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

ilege,  not  only  to  ask  and  claim  these  blessings  at  the  hand 
of  the  Lord,  but  it  is  his  right  and  privilege  to  receive  bless- 
ings from  God  upon  his  labor,  upon  his  farm,  and  upon  all 
that  he  puts  his  hand  unto  in  righteousness.  It  is  our  priv- 
ilege to  ask  God  to  remove  the  curse  from  the  earth,  and 
to  make  it  fruitful.  If  we  will  live  so  that  we  shall  be  en- 
titled to  his  favor,  and  so  that  we  may  justly  and  righteously 
claim  the  blessings  and  gifts  that  he  has  promised  unto  his 
Saints,  then  that  which  we  ask  will  be  given,  and  we  shall 
receive  and  enjoy  them  more  abundantly.  It  is  our  priv- 
ilege to  ask  God  to  bless  the  elements  that  surround  us  and 
to  temper  them  for  our  good,  and  we  know  he  will  hear  and 
answer  the  prayers  of  his  people,  according  to  their  faith. — 
Apr.  C.  R.,  1898,  pp.  9-10. 

THE  SPIRIT  NEEDS  FOOD.  Many  people  are  inconsis- 
tent in  that  they  study  concerning  the  needs  of  the  body,  and 
observe  strictly  the  laws  of  health,  yet  they  disregard  the 
equally  urgent  needs  of  the  spirit.  For  the  spirit,  as  well 
as  the  body,  needs  food.  Some  people  are  either  ignorant 
or  thoughtless  concerning  the  great  blessings  promised  to 
those  who  observe  the  Word  of  Wisdom. — Improvement 
Era,  Vol.  21,  December,  1917,  p.  103. 


CHAPTER   XI. 
Obedience 

OBEDIENCE  AN  ETERNAL  PRINCIPLE.  We  have  entered 
into  the  bond  of  that  new  and  everlasting  covenant  agreeing 
that  we  would  obey  the  commandments  of  God  in  all  things 
whatsoever  he  shall  command  us.  This  is  an  everlasting 
covenant  even  unto  the  end  of  our  days.  And  when  is  the 
end  of  our  days  ?  We  may  think  it  has  reference  to  the  end 
of  our  mortal  life ;  that  a  time  will  come  after  we  have  fin- 
ished this  probation  when  we  can  live  without  obedience  to 
the  commandments  of  God.  This  is  a  great  error.  We 
shall  never  see  the  day  in  time  nor  in  eternity,  when  it  will  not 
be  obligatory  and  when  it  will  not  be  a  pleasure  as  well  as  a 
duty  for  us,  as  his  children,  to  obey  all  the  commandments 
of  the  Lord  throughout  the  endless  ages  of  eternity.  It  is 
upon  this  principle  that  we  keep  in  touch  with  God,  and  re- 
main in  harmony  with  his  purposes.  It  is  only  in  this  way 
that  we  can  consummate  our  mission,  and  obtain  our  crown 
and  the  gift  of  eternal  lives,  which  is  the  greatest  gift  of 
God.  Can  you  imagine  any  other  way? 

God  has  established  all  things  in  their  order.  The 
house  of  God  is  a  house  of  order,  and  not  a  house  of  con- 
fusion. In  this  house  God  himself  is  the  Supreme  Head,  and 
he  must  be  obeyed.  Christ  is  in  the  image  and  likeness  of 
his  being,  his  Only  Begotten  Son,  and  he  stands  as  oi.r 
Savior  and  our  God.  We  must  walk  in  his  paths,  and  ob- 
serve his  precepts  to  do  them,  or  we  will  be  cut  off.  Next 
unto  God  and  Christ,  on  the  earth  is  placed  one  unto  whom 
the  keys  of  power  and  the  authority  of  the  holy  priesthood 
are  conferred,  and  unto  whom  the  right  of  presidency  is 
given.  He  is  God's  mouthpiece  to  His  people,  in  all  things 
pertaining  to  the  building  up  of  Zion  and  to  the  spiritual  and 


264  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

temporal  salvation  of  the  people.  He  is  as  God's  vicegerent ; 
I  do  not  hesitate  to  announce  this  truth;  for  it  is  his  word, 
and  therefore  it  is  true.  The  people  who  have  entered  into 
covenant  to  keep  the  commandments  of  the  Lord  must 
hearken  unto  the  voice  of  him  who  is  placed  to  preside  over 
them ;  and,  secondarily,  to  those  who  are  called  to  act  with 
him  as  his  counselors  in  the  holy  priesthood.  It  takes  this 
council  of  three  to  constitute  the  presiding  and  governing 
authority  of  the  priesthood  in  the  earth.  God  the  Father, 
God  the  Son,  and  God  the  Holy  Ghost,  constitute  the  God- 
head and  the  matchless  governing  quorum  over  all  the  cre- 
ations of  the  Father.  Three  men  stand  at  the  head  of  the 
Church  on  the  earth.  Yet  there  are  those  who  call  them- 
selves Saints  who  hesitate  not  to  rise  up  in  condemnation  of, 
and  to  express  words  of  hatred  and  malice  toward  these 
men  who  stand  at  the  head  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1898,  pp.  68-69. 

How  TO  RISE  ABOVE  THE  WEAKNESS  OF  MORTALITY.  I 
would  like  all  the  Latter-day  Saints  to  feel  in  their  hearts 
that  the  work  in  which  they  are  engaged  is  not  only  the 
work  that  God  has  instituted  in  the  latter  days,  but  that  it  is 
a  work  in  which  each  individual  member  of  the  Church 
is  deeply  and  vitally  interested.  Every  man  and  every 
woman  should  feel  a  deep  and  abiding  interest  in  the  work 
of  the  Lord,  in  the  growth  and  development  of  the  great 
latter-day  cause,  which  cause  is  intended  for  the  redemption 
of  all  men  from  the  powers  of  sin,  from  all  its  contaminating 
effects,  for  the  redemption  of  man  from  his  own  weakness 
and  ignorance,  and  from  the  grasp  that  Satan  holds  upon 
the  world,  that  men  may  be  made  free ;  for  no  man  is  or 
can  be  made  free  without  possessing  a  knowledge  of  the 
truth  and  obeying  the  same.  It  is  only  the  possession  and 
observance  of  the  truth  that  can  make  men  free,  and  all 
those  who  do  not  possess  and  obey  it  are  slaves  and  not 
free  men. 


OBEDIENCE  265 

It  is  only  by  obedience  to  the  laws  of  God,  that  men 
can  rise  above  the  petty  weaknesses  of  mortality  and  exer- 
cise that  breadth  of  affection,  that  charity  of  love,  that  should 
actuate  the  hearts  and  the  motives  of  the  children  of  men. 
The  gospel  as  it  has  been  restored  is  intended  to  make  free 
indeed,  free  to  choose  the  good  and  to  forsake  the  evil,  free 
to  exercise  that  boldness  in  their  choice  of  that  which  is 
good,  by  which  they  are  convinced  of  right,  notwithstanding 
the  great  majority  of  the  people  of  the  world  may  point  at 
them  the  finger  of  scorn  and  ridicule.  It  requires  no  espe- 
cial bravery  on  the  part  of  men  to  swim  with  the  currents 
of  the  world.  When  a  man  makes  up  his  mind  to  forsake 
the  world  and  its  follies  and  sins,  and  identify  himself  with 
God's  people,  who  are  everywhere  spoken  evil  of,  it  takes 
courage,  manhood,  independence  of  character,  superior  intel- 
ligence, and  a  determination  that  is  not  common  among  men ; 
for  men  shrink  from  that  which  is  unpopular,  from  that 
which  will  not  bring  them  praise  and  adulation,  from  that 
which  will  in  any  degree  tarnish  that  which  they  call  honor 
or  a  good  name.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1903,  pp.  1,  2. 

OBEDIENCE  TO  CHURCH  ORDINANCES  INDISPENSABLE. 
From  remarks  that  sometimes  fall  from  members  of  the 
Church,  one  is  led  to  believe  that  they  regard  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ  simply  from  the  standpoint  of  a  code  of  morals ; 
that  if  one  lives  an  honest,  upright  life,  that  is  all  that  the 
gospel  requires  of  him;  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  observe 
the  rites,  ceremonies  and  ordinances  of  the  Church ;  that  the 
latter  constitute  a  sort  of  religious  trapping  that  has  no  sub- 
stantial value  in  the  plan  of  life  and  salvation.  Such  a  posi- 
tion does  not  harmonize  with  the  word  of  God  given  to  this 
people,  nor  with  the  teachings  of  Christ  in  his  day,  nor  is  it 
in  harmony  with  the  universal  instinct  of  man  to  worship 
God. 

Jesus  himself  attended  to  the  ordinance  of  baptism ;  he 
instituted  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  supper  and  ordained 


266  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

its  observance ;  and  performed  other  rites  which  he  thought 
essential  to  man's  salvation.  In  the  case  of  Nicodemus,  he 
so  emphasized  baptism  that  he  made  the  birth  of  water  and 
the  Spirit  essential  to  man's  salvation. 

Besides  the  rites  and  ceremonies  and  the  moral  effect 
they  and  other  means  of  worshiping  God  have  upon  the 
moral  life  of  man,  the  gospel  is  also  a  power  in  itself.  It  is 
a  creative  power  which  gives  man  not  alone  dominion  in  the 
world,  but  the  power,  if  he  can  attain  it  by  his  faith,  to 
ordain  and  create  other  worlds.  On  one  occasion  Jesus  com- 
mended to  the  disciples  the  value  of  faith  as  a  power  when 
he  told  them  that  if  they  had  faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard, 
they  could  say  unto  the  mountain,  be  thou  removed,  and  it 
should  be  done.  It  is  true  that  our  faith  would  be  greatly 
weakened  by  acts  of  immorality,  and  it  might  be  wholly 
destroyed  by  such  acts ;  but  faith  and  morality  are  not  con- 
vertible terms.  A  moral  life  is  one  of  the  means  by  which 
we  cultivate  faith,  but  it  is  not  the  only  means.  We  may 
not  see  any  moral  virtue  in  the  ordinance  of  baptism,  in  the 
laying  on  of  hands,  or  in  any  other  rite  or  ceremony  of  the 
Church,  but  our  obedience  to  these  rites  and  ordinances  may 
be  quite  as  helpful  in  developing  our  faith  as  any  act  of 
charity  we  may  perform.  Faith  is  always  a  gift  of  God  to 
man,  which  is  obtained  by  obedience,  as  all  other  blessings 
are. 

The  man  or  woman  in  this  Church  who  desires  to  enrich 
his  or  her  faith  to  the  highest  possible  degree  will  desire  to 
observe  every  rite  and  ordinance  in  the  Church  in  conform- 
ity to  the  law  of  obedience  to  the  will  of  God.  In  these 
things  and  through  them,  man  gains  a  more  perfect  knowl- 
edge of  God's  purposes  in  the  world.  An  enriched  faith 
means  an  enlarged  power,  and  though  man  may  not  have  in 
this  life  an  occasion  to  exercise  all  the  powers  that  come  to 
him  through  the  enrichment  of  his  faith,  those  powers  may 
be  exercised  in  their  fulness  in  eternity,  if  not  in  time.  The 


OBEDIENCE  267 

man  or  woman,  therefore,  among  the  Latter-day  Saints,  who 
does  not  see  the  necessity  for  the  ordinances  of  the  House 
of  God,  who  does  not  respond  to  the  requirements  of  the 
gospel  in  all  its  rites  and  ordinances,  can  have  no  proper 
conception  of  the  great  work  which  the  Latter-day  Saints 
have  been  called  upon  to  perform  in  this  age,  nor  can  he  or 
she  enjoy  the  blessing  that  comes  from  the  virtue  of  obedi- 
ence to  a  law  higher  than  that  of  man. — Juvenile  Instructor, 
Vol.  38,  November  1,  1903,  p.  656. 

OBEDIENCE  BRINGS  LIGHT  AND  FREEDOM.  The  gospel 
is  very  simple  when  we  understand  it  properly.  It  is  plain 
and  easily  understood.  It  is  always  right,  good,  uplifting, 
comforting  and  enlightening.  It  prompts  men  and  women 
to  do  that  which  is  acceptable  before  God,  who  is  just, 
righteous,  allwise,  allgood,  and  allmerciful. 

The  gospel  teaches  us  to  forgive,  to  overcome  selfish- 
ness, covetousness ;  to  abjure  anger,  wrath,  faultfinding, 
complaining  and  the  spirit  of  contention  and  strife.  The 
gospel  warns  and  forewarns  the  children  of  men  against 
the  evils  which  bring  disunion  and  contention  and  shut  out 
honesty  and  love  from  among  the  children  of  men;  which 
mislead  people  to  acts  of  injustice,  selfishness,  covetousness. 
wickedness  and  sin,  things  which  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ 
teaches  us  to  eschew  and  avoid  as  we  would  the  gates  of 
hell.  There  is  nothing  intricate  or  incomprehensible  in  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  to  those  who  possess  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord. 

There  is  nothing  mysterious  and  unaccountable  in  the 
dealings  of  God  with  his  children,  if  we  can  only  see  and  un- 
derstand by  the  spirit  of  truth.  Jesus  has  given  us  in  this 
life  the  example,  the  type  of  that  which  exists  in  greater 
perfection,  in  a  purer,  higher  and  more  glorious  excellence 
where  he  dwells  himself.  The  gospel  teaches  us  to  do  here 
just  what  we  would  be  required  to  do  in  the  heavens,  with 
God  and  the  angels,  if  we  would  listen  to  its  teachings,  and 


268  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

obey  it,  and  put  it  into  practice.  There  would  be  no  cov- 
etousness  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  men,  if  they  pos- 
sessed the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  understood  the  pre- 
cepts of  the  gospel  as  he  taught  and  admonished  all  men  to 
observe  them. 

There  would  be  no  strife,  no  anger,  nothing  of  the  spirit 
of  unforgiveness,  unchastity  and  injustice,  in  the  hearts  of 
the  children  of  men,  if  we  loved  the  truth  and  obeyed  it  as  it 
was  taught  by  the  Son  of  Man.  With  this  spirit  we  could 
advance  to  the  extreme  position  that  we  would  pray  for 
those  who  despitefullv  use  us,  who  speak  all  manner  of  evil 
against  us  falsely,  accuse  us  of  wrong  doing,  and  lay  plans 
and  plots  to  bring  us  into  disrepute.  There  would  be  no 
such  desires  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  men,  if  they 
possessed  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  There  would 
be  no  contention,  dishonor,  nor  dishonesty  among  neighbors 
nor  in  the  communities  of  the  people.  None  would  take 
advantage  of  the  unwary,  the  weak  or  unsuspecting ;  no  one 
would  seek  to  wrong  another ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  we  would 
feel  like  Jesus  himself  expressed  it,  "he  that  is  greatest 
among  you,  let  him  be  the  servant  of  all."  If  we  would  be 
great  among  the  children  of  men  let  us  show  that  we  are 
willing  to  serve  and  to  do  good  to  our  fellowmen,  set  them  a 
right  example,  shield  them  from  wrong,  show  them  the  right 
way,  help  them  to  avoid  error  and  sin,  and  to  walk  in  the 
light,  as  God  is  in  the  light,  that  they  may  have  fellowship 
with  him  and  with  one  another,  and  that  the  blood  of  Christ 
may  indeed  cleanse  them  from  all  sin. 

The  spirit  of  the  gospel  should  teach  us  that  if  men 
sue  us  at  the  law,  and  take  away  our  coat  wrongfully  and 
wickedly,  intending  to  injure  or  degrade  us,  that  we  would 
rise  above  the  spirit  of  contention  and  retribution  in  our  own 
souls,  and  speak  as  Jesus  spoke:  "Forgive  them,  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do." 

My  brethren  and  sisters,  if  we  would  build  up  ourselves, 


OBEDIENCE  269 

or  ever  become  worthy  to  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God,  we 
will  do  so  on  the  principle  of  eternal  truth.  The  truth  is 
what  will  make  us  free;  free  from  error,  prejudice,  selfish- 
ness, ignorance,  contention,  the  power  of  the  adversary  of 
our  souls,  free  from  the  power  of  death  and  hell ;  free  to 
inherit  the  fulness  of  the  everlasting  gospel;  free  to  have 
joy  in  our  hearts  for  all  things  good  and  for  the  welfare 
of  mankind;  free  to  forgive  those  who  err  because  of  lack 
of  judgment  and  understanding.  But  the  Spirit  of  truth, 
mark  you,  will  not  tolerate  and  will  not  forgive  determined, 
premeditated  and  deliberate  wrong  in  man  or  woman,  in  the 
world — truth  will  not  tolerate  it.  We  can  not  forgive  that 
kind  or  class  of  crime  and  wickedness.  We  can  not,  or  if 
we  do,  we  transgress  the  laws  of  God,  for  he  has  no  sym- 
pathy with  Satan,  nor  with  him  who  knoweth  to  do  good 
and  doeth  evil ;  who  knoweth  to  do  right  but  is  determined  to 
do  wrong.  There  is  no  forgiveness  to  such  without  humble 
and  most  contrite  repentance  of  sin.  When  one  gets  far 
enough  along  in  the  crime  of  wickedness  and  disobedience 
to  the  principles  of  the  gospel,  and  in  the  abandonment  of 
love  for  his  fellowmen  and  for  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ, 
so  that  he  will  fight  and  lie  about  the  Church  and  the  truth, 
and  seek  by  every  power  within  his  reach  to  injure  and 
wrong  them,  there  is  no  forgiveness  for  that  man,  and  if 
he  goes  just  far  enough,  there  is  no  repentance  for  him 
either. 

And  how  do  you  pray?  To  be  heard  because  of  many 
words  ?  No ;  but  because  the  Lord  has  said  it  is  your  duty 
to  inquire  of  him ;  I  will  be  inquired  of,  by  my  people ;  I  will 
be  asked  for  blessings,  for  my  gifts,  and  the  door  will  be 
opened  to  them  that  knock  and  those  who  seek  after  the  truth 
shall  find  it. 

Fathers,  pray  with  your  families ;  bow  down  with  them 
morning  and  at  night ;  pray  to  the  Lord,  thank  him  for  his 
goodness,  mercy  and  Fatherly  kindness,  just  as  our  earthly 


270  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

fathers  and  mothers  have  been  extremely  kind  to  us  poor, 
disobedient  and  wayward  children. 

Do  you  pray?  What  do  you  pray  for?  You  pray  that 
God  may  recognize  you,  that  he  may  hear  your  prayers,  and 
that  he  may  bless  you  with  his  Spirit,  and  that  he  may  lead 
you  into  all  truth  and  show  you  the  right  way;  that  he  will 
warn  you  against  wrong  and  guide  you  into  the  right  path ; 
that  you  may  not  fall  astray,  that  you  may  not  veer  into  the 
wrong  way  unto  death,  but  that  you  may  keep  in  the  narrow 
way.  You  pray  for  your  wives  to  have  health  and  strength, 
blessed  to  be  happy  and  contented,  true  to  their  children,  true 
to  their  homes,  true  to  you.  The  wives  pray  that  they  may 
also  have  power  to  overcome  the  weaknesses  of  fallen  human 
nature,  and  rise  to  teach  their  children  the  beauty  and  glory 
of  a  righteous  life,  and  that  the  children  may  be  blest  to 
carry  out  in  their  lives  the  wish  and  desire  of  their  parents ; 
that  they  may  perfect  their  lives  here  by  living  up  to  the  wise 
teachings  of  the  gospel.  So  we  pray  fcr  what  we  need. 

While  in  my  boyhood  days,  when  I  was  like  some  of 
these  little  boys,  I  used  to  wonder — how  could  the  Lord  hear 
me  when  I  was  in  secret,  or  wherever  I  might  be?  I  won- 
dered at  it  ?  Do  you  wonder  at  it  now,  when  you  have  learned 
something  of  the  late  discoveries  made  by  human  wisdom 
and  human  intelligence? 

They  have  discovered  that  there  is  a  principle  by  which 
communication  between  distant  points,  thousands  of  miles 
away,  may  take  place,  and  one  man  may  communicate  with 
another  through  the  air,  his  words  and  voice  being  distinctly 
and  clearly  heard.  If  in  the  midst  of  the  Pacific  ocean,  a 
thousand  or  more  miles  from  shore,  I  could  send  a  message 
inland  a  thousand  or  more  miles  and  could  send  it  without 
the  medium  of  wire,  merely  by  the  power  or  force  of  elec- 
tricity, to  my  home  thousands  of  miles  away,  how  easy,  is 
it  not,  for  God  to  hear  our  prayers,  who  understands,  and 
knows  all  things,  long  before  we  ever  thought  of  such  won- 


OBEDIENCE  271 

derful  inventions,  and  who  has  power  over  all  things! 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  Lord  can  hear  you  when  you 
whisper,  even  in  your  secret  closet!  Is  there  any  doubt  in 
your  minds  about  it?  If  man  can  communicate  across  the 
continent  by  means  of  a  telephone  without  wires — by  means 
of  human  invention,  by  reason  of  the  wisdom  of  man,  is  there 
any  one  who  doubts  the  ability  of  God  to  hear  the  earnest, 
honest  supplication  of  the  soul  ?  Do  not  doubt  any  more  that 
the  Lord  can  hear  your  prayers,  when  with  a  small  instru- 
ment, sensitive  to  the  electric  spark,  you  can  distinctly  hear 
the  human  voice  in  your  home  received  from  the  ocean  thou- 
sands of  miles  away.  When  you  can  communicate  to  some 
one  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean  from  your  home,  far  inland 
from  the  ocean — do  not  for  a  moment  doubt  that  the  Lord 
understands  all  these  means  of  communication  and  that  he 
has  means  of  hearing  and  understanding  your  innermost  se- 
cret thoughts.  "Prayer  is  the  soul's  sincere  desire,  uttered 
or  unexpressed."  It  does  not  take  many  words  to  ask  the 
Lord  for  what  we  need ;  but  we  must  ask  in  faith,  confidence 
and  trust.  It  will  not  do  to  have  doubts  in  our  minds  when 
we  call  upon  the  Lord  for  a  blessing.  "If  any  of  you  lack 
wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God,  that  giveth  to  all  men  liberally, 
and  upbraideth  not ;  and  it  shall  be  given  him.  But  let  him 
ask  in  faith,  nothing  wavering.  For  he  that  wavereth  is  like 
a  wave  of  the  sea,  driven  with  the  wind  and  tossed.  For 
let  not  that  man  think  that  he  shall  receive  anything  of  the 
Lord."  (James  1:5-7.) 

When  a  little  child  bows  down  in  its  perfect  simplicity 
and  asks  the  Father  for  a  blessing,  the  Father  hears  the 
voice,  and  will  answer  in  blessings  upon  his  head,  because 
the  child  is  innocent  and  asks  in  full  trust  and  confidence. 

These  are  simple  principles  that  I  have  sought  to  im- 
press upon  your  minds.  They  are  simple,  but  necessary, 
and  essential.  There  is  no  mystery  about  them,  there  is  no 
mystery  in  the  birth  of  man  into  the  world  when  you  under- 


272  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

stand  the  laws  of  nature,  which  are  the  laws  of  God — no 
mystery  about  it.  There  will  be  no  more  mystery  in  the 
resurrection  from  the  dead  to  life  and  everlasting  light,  than 
there  is  in  the  birth  of  man  into  the  world,  when  we  under- 
stand the  truth,  as  we  will  some  day,  as  the  Lord  of  glory 
instituted  it.  There  is  no  mystery  in  the  birth  or  begetting 
of  the  Son  of  God,  nor  regarding  his  birth  into  the  world.  It 
was  just  as  natural  and  as  strictly  in  accordance  with  the 
laws  of  nature  and  of  God,  as  the  birth  of  any  one  of  his 
children,  the  birth  of  any  one  of  us.  It  was  simply  in  ac- 
cordance with  truth,  and  law  and  order.  Will  the  men  of 
the  world  receive  the  gospel  ?  Will  they  hearken  to  the  truth  ? 
Or  will  they  mystify  the  truth  and  seek  to  becloud  the  chil- 
dren of  men  over  simple  truths  when  they  should  under- 
stand them?  From  the  middle-aged  to  the  gray-haired  man, 
as  well  as  the  youth,  all  should  understand  the  principles 
of  the  gospel,  the  simple  truths  given  for  the  redemption  and 
exaltation  of  man. — Granite  Stake  Conference,  Sunday,  Nov. 
25,  1917. 

BLESSINGS  FROM  OBEDIENCE.  Every  good  and  perfect 
gift  comes  from  the  Father  of  Light,  who  is  no  respecter 
of  persons  and  in  whom  there  is  no  variableness,  nor  shadow 
of  turning.  To  please  him  we  must  not  only  worship  him 
with  thanksgiving  and  praise,  but  render  willing  obedience 
to  his  commandments.  By  so  doing  he  is  bound  to  bestow 
his  blessings;  for  it  is  upon  this  principle  (obedience  to  law) 
that  all  blessings  are  predicated. — Improvement  Era,  Vol. 
21,  December,  1917. 


CHAPTER  XII 

Prayer 

PRAY  EVERY  DAY.  Observe  that  great  commandment 
given  of  the  Master,  always  to  remember  the  Lord,  to  pray 
in  the  morning,  and  in  the  evening,  and  always  remember 
to  thank  him  for  the  blessings  that  they  receive  day  by  day. 
—Oct.  C.  R.,  1914,  p.  6. 

PRAY  IN  WISDOM.  My  brethren  and  sisters,  let  us  re- 
member and  call  upon  God  and  implore  his  blessings  and  his 
favor  upon  us.  Let  us  do  it  nevertheless  in  wisdom  and  in 
righteousness,  and  when  we  pray  we  should  call  upon  him 
in  a  consistent  and  reasonable  way.  We  should  not  ask  the 
Lord  for  that  which  is  unnecessary  or  which  would  not  be 
beneficial  to  us.  We  should  ask  for  that  which  we  need,  and 
we  should  ask  in  faith,  "nothing  wavering,  for  he  that  waver- 
eth,"  as  the  apostle  said,  "is  like  the  wave  of  the  sea,  driven 
by  the  wind  and  tossed.  For  let  not  that  man  think  that  he 
shall  receive  anything  of  the  Lord."  But  when  we  ask  of 
God  for  blessings  let  us  ask  in  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  in 
that  faith  that  he  has  promised  to  give  to  them  who  believe 
in  him  and  obey  his  commandments. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1914,  p.  7. 

KEEP  THE  SPIRIT  OF  PRAYER.  We  should  carry  with  us 
the  spirit  of  prayer  throughout  every  duty  that  we  have  to 
perform  in  life.  Why  should  we  ?  One  of  the  simple  reasons 
that  appeals  to  my  mind  with  great  force  is  that  man  is  so 
utterly  dependent  upon  God !  How  helpless  we  are  without 
him ;  how  little  can  we  do  without  his  merciful  providence  in 
our  behalf !  I  have  often  been  led  to  make  the  remark,  that 
not  one  of  us,  not  a  human  being  in  all  the  world  can  make 
even  a  single  spear  of  grass  grow  without  the  help  of  God. 
We  have  to  use  his  earth,  we  must  avail  ourselves  of  the  ben- 
efit of  his  soil,  his  air  and  his  sunshine,  and  the  moisture 
that  God  provides  and  gives  to  the  earth,  to  enable  us  to  pro- 

19 


274  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

duce  even  a  single  blade  of  grass ;  and  the  same  applies  to 
everything  that  ministers  to  our  existence  in  the  world.  You 
can't  raise  an  ear  of  corn  or  grain  of  wheat  without  God's 
help.  You  cannot  produce  a  single  thing  essential  to  the  ex- 
istence of  man  or  beast  without  the  help  of  God.  Then,  why 
should  we  not  feel  dependent  upon  the  Lord?  Why  should 
we  not  call  upon  his  name?  Why  should  we  not  remember 
him  in  our  prayers  ?  Why  should  we  not  love  him  with  all 
our  heart  and  mind,  and  strength,  since  he  has  given  us  life, 
since  he  has  formed  us  in  his  own  likeness  and  image,  since 
he  has  placed  us  here  that  we  may  become  like  unto  his  Only 
Begotten  Son  and  to  inherit  the  glory,  exaltation  and  re- 
ward provided  for  God's  own  children? — Oct.  C.  R.}l9l4,p.6. 
TRUE  PRAYER.  I  pray  you,  my  young  brethren  who  are 
present  in  this  vast  congregation,  and  who  are  liable  to  be 
called  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  world,  when  you  are  called 
to  go  out,  I  pray  that  you  will  know  how  to  approach  God 
in  prayer.  It  is  not  such  a  difficult  thing  to  learn  how  to 
pray.  It  is  not  the  words  we  use  particularly  that  constitute 
prayer.  Prayer  does  not  consist  of  words,  altogether.  True, 
faithful,  earnest  prayer  consists  more  in  the  feeling  that 
rises  from  the  heart  and  from  the  inward  desire  of  our  spir- 
its to  supplicate  the  Lord  in  humility  and  in  faith,  that  we 
may  receive  his  blessings.  It  matters  not  how  simple  the 
words  may  be,  if  our  desires  are  genuine  and  we  come  be- 
fore the  Lord  with  a  broken  heart  and  a  contrite  spirit  to  ask 
him  for  that  which  we  need.  I  would  like  to  know  if  there  is 
a  young  man  in  this  congregation,  or  anywhere  else,  who 
does  not  need  something  of  the  Lord.  Where  is  there  a  soul 
upon  the  earth  that  does  not  need  something  that  the  Al- 
mighty can  give.  In  the  first  place,  all  that  we  have  comes 
from  him.  It  is  by  his  providence  that  we  exist  on  the  earth. 
It  is  by  his  kind  mercy  that  we  see  and  hear,  that  we  have 
the  power  of  speech,  and  that  we  possess  intelligence,  for 
as  the  sage  of  old  said,  "There  is  a  spirit  in  man:  and 


PRAYER  27  S 

the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty  giveth  them  understanding." 
Therefore,  the  very  power  of  understanding  that  we  possess 
is  the  gift  of  God.  In  and  of  ourselves  we  are  but  a  lifeless 
lump  of  clay.  Life,  intelligence,  wisdom,  judgment,  power 
to  reason,  all  are  the  gifts  of  God  to  the  children  of  men. 
He  gives  us  our  physical  strength  as  well  as  our  mental 
powers.  Every  young  man  should  feel  from  the  depth  of 
his  heart  that  he  is  indebted  to  Almighty  God  for  his  being 
and  for  every  attribute  that  he  possesses  which  is  in  likeness 
of  the  attributes  of  God.  We  should  seek  to  magnify  the 
attributes  that  we  possess.  We  should  honor  God  with  our 
intelligence,  with  our  strength,  with  our  understanding,  with 
our  wisdom,  and  with  all  the  power  that  we  possess.  We 
should  seek  to  do  good  in  the  world.  This  is  our  duty ;  and 
if  a  young  man  can  only  feel  as  all  men  should  feel,  he  will 
find  that  it  is  an  easy  matter  for  him  to  bow  down  before 
the  Lord  in  humble  prayer  and  seek  unto  God  for  the  aid, 
comfort,  and  inspiration  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  that  he  may  not 
be  left  entirely  to  himself,  nor  to  the  wisdom  and  ways  of 
the  world.  But  as  a  rule,  where  young  men  have  good  par- 
ents to  provide  for  them,  where  they  have  good  homes  and 
their  food  and  raiment  are  sure,  they  feel  that  they  are  not 
dependent  upon  anybody,  unless  perchance  they  should  be 
afflicted  in  some  way,  and  then  begin  to  realize  their  weak- 
ness and  dependence.  But  I  want  to  say  to  you,  my  young 
friends,  that  in  the  hour  of  your  independence,  at  the  moment 
when  you  feel  the  strongest,  you  should  bear  in  mind  that 
you  are  but  human,  the  breath  of  life  is  in  your  nostrils,  and 
you  are  destined  to  pass  from  this  world  through  the  portals 
of  death.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1899,  pp.  69,  70. 

How  TO  PRAY.  My  brethren  and  sisters,  do  not  learn 
to  pray  with  your  lips  only.  Do  not  learn  a  prayer  by  heart, 
and  say  it  every  morning  and  evening.  That  is  something 
I  dislike  very  much.  It  is  true  that  a  great  many  people 
fall  into  the  rut  of  saying  over  a  ceremonious  prayer.  They 


276  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

begin  at  a  certain  point,  and  they  touch  at  all  the  points 
along  the  road  until  they  get  to  the  winding  up  scene ;  and 
when  they  have  done,  I  do  not  know  whether  the  prayer  has 
ascended  beyond  the  ceiling  of  the  room  or  not. — Oct.  C.  R., 
1899,  pp.  71,  72. 

AN  ADDRESS  ON  PRAYER — PRACTICAL  PRAYER  AND 
HEALING.  I  thought  that  a  few  words  from  the  Book  of 
Mormon  might  be  appropriate  as  concluding  advice  and 
counsel,  written  by  the  prophet  Moroni : 

''And  now,  my  brethren,  I  judge  these  things  of  you 
because  of  your  peaceable  walk  with  the  children  of  men; 

"For  I  remember  the  word  of  God,  which  saith  by  their 
works  ye  shall  know  them ;  for  if  their  works  be  good,  then 
they  are  good  also. 

"For  behold,  God  hath  said,  A  man  being  evil  cannot  do 
that  which  is  good ;  for  if  he  offereth  a  gift,  or  prayeth  unto 
God,  except  he  shall  do  it  with  real  intent,  it  profiteth  him 
nothing. 

"For  behold,  it  is  not  counted  unto  him  for  righteous- 
ness. 

"For  behold,  if  a  man  being  evil,  giveth  a  gift,  he  doeth 
it  grudgingly ;  wherefore  it  is  counted  unto  him  the  same  as 
if  he  had  retained  the  gift ;  wherefore  he  is  counted  evil 
before  God. 

"And  likewise  also  it  is  counted  unto  a  man,  if  he  shall 
pray,  and  not  with  real  intent  of  heart ;  yea,  and  it  profiteth 
him  nothing;  for  God  receiveth  none  such."  (Moroni  7:4-9.) 

Here,  indeed,  is  a  text  that  would  give  an  opportunity 
to  one  moved  by  the  proper  spirit,  to  make  a  telling  discourse 
among  the  Latter-day  Saints — not  applicable  to  all,  but  ap- 
plicable to  far  too  many.  It  is  not  good  for  us  to  pray  by 
rote,  to  kneel  down  and  repeat  the  Lord's  prayer  continually. 
I  think  that  one  of  the  greatest  follies  I  have  ever  witnessed 
is  the  foolish  custom  of  men  repeating  the  Lord's  prayer 
continually  without  considering  its  meaning.  The  Lord  gave 


PRAYER  277 

this  as  a  pattern  to  his  disciples  who  were  going  out  into 
the  world  to  preach  the  gospel.  It  was  to  show  them  that 
they  were  not  to  use  many  words,  but  were  to  come  directly 
to  the  Lord,  and  ask  him  for  the  things  they  might  need, 
consequently  one  of  the  specific  provisions  in  that  prayer, 
and  the  example  set  was :  "Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread ;" 
and  we  see  people  clothed  with  plenty,  possessed  of  millions, 
perhaps,  and  yet,  if  they  pray  at  all,  they  repeat  simply  the 
Lord's  prayer.  It  thus  becomes  only  a  form ;  there  is  no 
power  in  it ;  neither  is  it  acceptable,  because  it  is  not  offered 
from  the  heart,  nor  with  the  understanding ;  and  I  think  that 
it  is  desirable  for  us  to  look  well  to  our  words  when  we  call 
upon  the  Lord.  He  hears  us  in  secret,  and  can  reward  us 
openly.  We  do  not  have  to  cry  unto  him  with  many  words. 
We  do  not  have  to  weary  him  wijh  long  prayers. 
What  we  do  need,  and  what  we  should  do  as  Latter-day 
Saints,  for  our  own  good,  is  to  go  before  him  often,  to  wit- 
ness unto  him  that  we  remember  him  and  that  we  are  willing 
to  take  upon  us  his  name,  keep  his  commandments,  work 
righteousness ;  and  that  we  desire  his  Spirit  to  help  us.  Then, 
if  we  are  in  trouble,  let  us  go  to  the  Lord  and  ask  him 
directly  and  specifically  to  help  us  out  of  the  trouble  that 
we  are  in ;  and  let  the  prayer  come  from  the  heart,  let  it  not 
be  in  words  that  are  worn  into  ruts  in  the  beaten  tracks  of 
common  use,  without  thought  or  feeling  in  the  use  of  those 
words.  Let  us  speak  the  simple  words,  expressing  our 
need,  that  will  appeal  most  truly  to  the  Giver  of  every  good 
and  perfect  gift.  He  can  hear  in  secret ;  and  he  knows  the 
desires  of  our  hearts  before  we  ask,  but  he  has  made  it  ob- 
ligatory, and  a  duty  that  we  shall  call  upon  his  name — that 
we  shall  ask  that  we  may  receive ;  and  knock  that  it  may  be 
opened  to  us ;  and  seek  that  we  may  find.  Hence,  the  Lord 
has  made  it  a  loving  duty  that  we  should  remember  him,  that 
we  should  witness  unto  him  morning,  noon,  and  night,  that 
we  do  not  forget  the  Giver  of  every  good  gift  unto  us. 


278  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

"Wherefore,  a  man  being  evil,  cannot  do  that  which  is 
good ;  neither  will  he  give  a  good  gift. 

"For  behold,  a  bitter  fountain  cannot  bring  forth  good 
water ;  neither  can  a  good  fountain  bring  forth  bitter  water ; 
wherefore  a  man  being  a  servant  of  the  devil,  cannot  follow 
Christ;  and  if  he  follow  Christ,  he  cannot  be  a  servant  of 
the  devil. 

"Wherefore,  all  things  which  are  good,  cometh  of 
God ;  and  that  which  is  evil,  cometh  of  the  devil ;  for  the 
devil  is  an  enemy  unto  God,  and  fighteth  against  him  con- 
tinually, and  inviteth  and  enticeth  to  sin,  and  to  do  that  which 
is  evil  continually. 

"But  behold,  that  which  is  of  God,  inviteth  and  enticeth 
to  do  good  continually ;  wherefore,  everything  which  inviteth 
and  enticeth  to  do.  good,  and  to  love  God,  and  to  serve  him 
is  inspired  of  God. 

"Wherefore  take  heed,  my  beloved  brethren,  that  ye 
do  not  judge  that  which  is  evil  to  be  of  God,  or  that  which 
is  good  and  of  God,  to  be  of  the  devil. 

"For  behold,  my  brethren,  it  is  given  unto  you  to 
judge,  that  ye  may  know  good  from  evil;  and  the  way  to 
judge  is  as  plain,  that  ye  may  know  with  a  perfect  knowl- 
edge, as  the  daylight  is  from  the  dark  night. 

"For  behold,  the  Spirit  of  Christ  is  given  to  every  man, 
that  they  may  know  good  from  evil ;  wherefore  I  show  unto 
you  the  way  to  judge;  for  everything  which  inviteth  to  do 
good,  and  to  persuade  to  believe  in  Christ,  is  sent  forth  by 
the  power  and  gift  of  Christ ;  wherefore  ye  may  know  with 
a  perfect  knowledge  it  is  of  God, 

"But  whatsoever  thing  persuadeth  men  to  do  evil  and 
believe  not  in  Christ  and  deny  him,  and  serve  not  God,  then 
ye  may  know  with  a  perfect  knowledge  it  is  of  the  devil,  for 
after  this  manner  doth  the  devil  work,  for  he  persuadeth 
no  man  to  do  good,  no  not  one ;  neither  doth  his  angels ; 
neither  do  they  who  subject  themselves  unto  him. 


PRAYER  279 

"And  now,  my  brethren,  seeing  that  ye  know  the  light 
by  which  ye  may  judge,  which  light  is  the  light  of  Christ, 
see  that  ye  do  not  judge  wrongfully;  for  with  that  same 
judgment  which  ye  judge,  ye  shall  also  be  judged. 

"Wherefore  I  beseech  of  you,  brethren,  that  ye  should 
search  diligently  in  the  light  of  Christ,  that  ye  may  know 
good  from  evil ;  and  if  ye  will  lay  hold  upon  every  good 
thing,  and  condemn  it  not,  ye  certainly  will  be  a  child  of 
Christ."  (Moroni  7:10-19.) 

I  think  that  here,  in  the  words  that  I  have  read,  are 
some  plain  fingerboards,  some  plain,  simple  guideposts ;  and 
if  we,  as  Latter-day  Saints,  believing  as  we  do  in  the  divin- 
ity of  this  book  which  was  translated  by  the  gift  and  power 
of  God,  through  the  inspiration  that  came  to  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith,  would  read  these  words  as  believing  children 
should  read,  with  understanding,  in  faith,  being  sure  that 
God  inspired  them,  and  then  put  them  into  practice,  I  think 
it  would  not  be  long  before  we  could  do  away  with  appeals 
to  bishops'  courts,  and  high  councils,  and  with  the  present 
necessity  for  teachers'  visits,  to  try  to  settle  difficulties  among 
Latter-day  Saints.  I  believe  every  man  would  be  his  own 
judge,  for  he  would  judge  righteously,  because  he  would 
judge  in  the  light  of  truth,  in  the  light  and  justice — not  sel- 
fishly, not  covetously,  but  in  the  light  that  has  come  from  the 
heavens  in  the  latter-day,  through  revelations  from  God. — • 
Improvement  Era,  Vol.  11,  August,  1908,  pp.  729-732. 

PRAY  FOR  THE  AUTHORITIES.  We  have  met  together 
this  afternoon  in  the  capacity  of  a  conference  of  this  stake  of 
Zion.  We  have  had  presented  before  us  the  stake  authori- 
ties, together  with  the  home  missionaries,  that  we  might  sus- 
tain them  by  our  vote,  which  means  also  by  our  faith  and 
prayers,  and  to  stand  by  them  in  the  discharge  of  all  the  du- 
ties that  devolve  upon  them.  It  is  an  important  duty  resting 
upon  the  Saints  who  vote  to  sustain  the  authorities  of  the 
Church,  to  do  so  not  only  by  the  lifting  of  the  hand,  the  mere 


280  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

form,  but  in  deed  and  in  truth.  There  never  should  be  a  day 
pass  but  all  the  people  composing  the  Church  should  lift  up 
their  voices  in  prayer  to  the  Lord  to  sustain  his  servants  who 
are  placed  to  preside  over  them.  Not  only  should  they  do 
this  in  behalf  of  the  president  of  the  stake  and  his  counselors, 
but  they  should  do  it  in  behalf  of  the  high  council,  before 
whom,  in  connection  with  the  presidency  of  the  stake,  mat- 
ters of  vast  importance  to  the  members  of  the  Church  are 
brought  from  time  to  time  for  their  judgment  and  counsel. 
These  men  should  have  the  faith  of  the  people  to  sustain 
them  in  discharge  of  their  duties,  in  order  that  they  may  be 
strong  in  the  Lord.  These  authorities  are  also  presented  be- 
fore the  people,  so  that  if  there  is  any  fault  in  them,  worthy 
of  objection  to  their  acting  in  the  positions  to  which  they  are 
called,  the  Saints  who  know  of  these  objections  may  make 
them  manifest,  in  order  that  such  inquiry  may  be  instituted 
as  may  be  necessary  to  ascertain  the  truth,  that  those  who 
are  not  worthy  may  be  dropped,  and  only  such  as  are  worthy 
and  faithful  in  the  performance  of  their  duties  be  sustained 
in  these  exalted  positions  in  the  Church. 

We  should  not  permit  ourselves  to  go  about  from  day  to 
day  with  a  spirit  of  murmuring  and  fault-finding  in  our 
hearts  against  those  who  are  presented  before  us  to  be  sus- 
tained in  responsible  positions.  If  we  have  anything  in  our 
hearts  against  any  of  these  brethren,  it  is  our  duty,  as  con- 
scientious members  of  the  Church,  first,  as  the  Scriptures 
direct,  to  go  to  them  alone  and  make  known  to  them  our 
feeling  toward  them  and  show  them  the  cause  of  such  feel- 
ing; not  with  a  desire  in  our  hearts  to  widen  or  increase  the 
difficulty,  but  we  should  go  to  them  in  the  spirit  of  recon- 
ciliation and  brotherly  love,  in  a  true  Christian  spirit,  so 
that  if  any  feeling  of  bitterness  exists  within  us  it  may  be 
absolutely  removed ;  and  if  we  have  cause  against  our  broth- 
er, that  we  may  be  in  a  position  to  remedy  the  evil.  We 
should  seek  to  love  one  another  and  to  sustain  one  another 


PRAYER  281 

as  children  of  God  and  as  brothers  and  sisters  in  the  cause. 

The  presentation  of  the  authorities  of  the  Church  be- 
fore a  conference  is  made  obligatory  upon  the  Church.  It  is 
the  command  of  the  Lord  that  we  shall  meet  together  to 
trasact  the  business  of  the  Church,  an  important  part  of 
which  is  to  sustain  the  authorities  of  the  Church,  thus  re- 
newing our  covenant  to  uphold  God's  authority  which  he 
has  instituted  in  the  earth  for  the  government  of  his  Church. 
And  I  cannot  emphasize  too  strongly  the  importance  of 
Latter-day  Saints  honoring  and  sustaining  in  truth  and  in 
deed  the  authority  of  the  holy  priesthood  which  is  called 
to  preside.  The  moment  a  spirit  enters  the  heart  of  a  mem- 
ber to  refrain  from  sustaining  the  constituted  authorities  of 
the  Church,  that  moment  he  becomes  possessed  of  a  spirit 
which  inclines  to  rebellion  or  dissension;  and  if  he  permits 
that  spirit  to  take  a  firm  root  in  his  mind,  it  will  eventually 
lead  him  into  darkness  and  apostasy.  It  makes  no  difference 
how  much  we  may  profess  to  love  the  gospel  and  prize  our 
standing  in  the  Church,  if  we  allow  the  spirit  of  darkness 
to  take  possession  of  our  minds,  the  light  and  love  within 
us  will  go  out,  and  bitterness  and  enmity  will  take  possession 
of  our  souls.  Then,  oh  how  dark,  how  bitter  and  wicked  we 
may  become  I— Salt  Lake  Stake  C.  R.,  June  12,  1898. 

BLESSINGS  FOLLOW  PRAYERS.  Family  and  secret  prayers 
should  be  observed,  not  alone  to  comply  with  the  command- 
ment of  the  Lord,  but  because  of  the  wonderful  blessings 
to  be  gained.  The  Lord  has  said  we  should  inquire  of  him. 
— Improvement  Era,  Vol.  21,  December,  1917,  p.  104. 

CORRECT  OUR  NEGLECTS.  What  shall  we  do  if  we  have 
neglected  our  prayers?  Let  us  begin  to  pray.  If  we  have 
neglected  any  other  duty,  let  us  seek  unto  the  Lord  for  his 
Spirit,  that  we  may  know  wherein  we  have  erred  and  lost 
our  opportunities,  nor  let  them  pass  by  us  unimproved.— 
Dcseret  Weekly  News,  Vol.  24,  p.  708. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 
Tithing;  the  Poor;  Industry 

WHY  THE  LAW  OF  TITHING  WAS  INSTITUTED.  The 
Lord  revealed  to  his  people  in  the  incipiency  of  his  work  a 
law  which  was  more  perfect  than  the  law  of  tithing.  It 
comprehended  larger  things,  greater  power,  and  a  more 
speedy  accomplishment  of  the  purposes  of  the  Lord.  But 
the  people  were  unprepared  to  live  by  it,  and  the  Lord,  out 
of  mercy  to  the  people,  suspended  the  more  perfect  law,  and 
gave  the  law  of  tithing,  in  order  that  there  might  be  means 
in  the  storehouse  of  the  Lord  for  the  carrying  out  of  the  pur- 
poses he  had  in  view;  for  the  gathering  of  the  poor,  for 
the  spreading  of  the  gospel  to  the  nations  of  the  earth,  for 
the  maintenance  of  those  who  were  required  to  give  their 
constant  attention,  day  in  and  day  out,  to  the  work  of  the 
Lord,  and  for  whom  it  was  necessary  to  make  some  pro- 
vision. Without  this  law  these  things  could  not  be  done, 
neither  could  temples  be  built  and  maintained,  nor  the  poor 
fed  and  clothed.  Therefore  the  law  of  tithing  is  necessary 
for  the  Church,  so  much  so  that  the  Lord  has  laid  great 
stress  upon  it— Apr.  C.  R.,  1900,  p.  47. 

ESSENTIAL  NATURE  OF  THE  LAW  OF  TITHING.  By  this 
principle  (tithing)  the  loyalty  of  the  people  of  this  Church 
shall  be  put  to  the  test.  By  this  principle  it  shall  be  known 
who  is  for  the  kingdom  of  God  and  who  is  against  it.  By 
this  principle  it  shall  be  seen  whose  hearts  are  set  on  doing 
the  will  of  God  and  keeping  his  commandments,  thereby 
sanctifying  the  land  of  Zion  unto  God,  and  who  are  opposed 
to  this  principle  and  have  cut  themselves  off  from  the  bless- 
ings of  Zion.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  importance  connected 
with  this  principle,  for  by  it  it  shall  be  known  whether  we 
are  faithful  or  unfaithful.  In  this  respect  it  is  as  essential 


TITHING;  77/7:  I'OOR;  INDUSTRY        283 

as  faith  in  God,  as  repentance  of  sin,  as  baptism  for  the  re- 
mission of  sin,  or  as  the  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  For  if  a  man  keep  all  the  law  save  in  one 
point,  and  he  offend  in  that,  he  is  a  transgressor  of  the  law, 
and  he  is  not  entitled  to  the  fulness  of  the  blessings  of  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  But  when  a  man  keeps  all  the  law 
that  is  revealed,  according  to  his  strength,  his  substance,  and 
his  ability,  though  what  he  does  may  be  little,  it  is  just  as 
acceptable  in  the  sight  of  God  as  if  he  were  able  to  do  a 
thousand  times  more.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1900,  pp.  47,  48. 

THE  LAW  OF  TITHING  A  TEST.  The  law  of  tithing  is  a 
test  by  which  the  people  as  individuals  shall  be^  proved.  Any 
man  who  fails  to  observe  this  principle  shall  be  known  as  a 
man  who  is  indifferent  to  the  welfare  of  Zion,  who  neglects 
his  duty  as  a  member  of  the  Church,  and  who  does  nothing 
toward  the  accomplishment  of  the  temporal  advancement  of 
the  kingdom  of  God.  He  contributes  nothing,  either,  to- 
wards spreading  the  gospel  to  the  nations  of  the  earth,  and 
•he  neglects  to  do  that  which  would  entitle  him  to  receive 
the  blessings  and  ordinances  of  the  gospel. — Apr.  C.  R., 
1900,  p.  47. 

THE  LAW  OF  TITHING,  THE  LAW  OF  REVENUE.  The 
purpose  of  the  law  of  tithing  is  similar  to  that  of  the  law 
of  revenue  which  is  enacted  by  every  state,  every  country, 
and  every  municipality  in  the  world,  I  suppose.  There  is  no 
such  thing  as  an  organization  of  men  for  any  purpose  of 
importance,  without  provisions  for  carrying  out  its  designs. 
The  law  of  tithing  is  the  law  of  revenue  for  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  Without  it,  it  would  be 
impossible  to  carry  on  the  purposes  of  the  Lord. 

TITHING.  No  doubt,  a  good  deal  more  could  be  read 
from  the  scriptures  in  relation  to  this  principle  of  tithing, 
which  God  has  revealed  to  us  in  this  dispensation,  and  which 
he  requires  at  our  hands,  that  we  may  sanctify,  by  obedi- 
ence to  his  law,  this  land  that  it  may  become,  indeed  a  land 


284  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

of  Zion  unto  us ;  and  the  promise  is,  that  if  we  will  obey  the 
laws  of  God,  if  we  will  put  our  trust  in  him,  if  we  will  draw 
near  unto  him  he  will  draw  near  unto  us,  and  he  will  re- 
ward us  with  his  favor  and  his  blessing.  He  will  rebuke  the 
devotirer,  and  he  will  cause  that  the  earth  shall  be  fruitful, 
that  it  shall  yield  in  its  strength  to  the  husbandman,  the  tiller 
of  the  soil,  and  to  the  herder  of  flocks.  He  will  increase  his 
kine,  and  will  prosper  him  upon  the  right  hand  and  upon  the 
left,  and  he  shall  have  an  abundance,  because  he  puts  his 
trust  in  God ;  he  draws  near  unto  him,  and  he  is  willing  to 
prove  him,  to  see  whether  he  will  not  open  the  windows  of 
heaven  and  pour  out  blessings  upon  him  that  he  shall  not 
have  room  to  contain  them.  Let  every  man  who  has  re- 
ceived the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  receive  this  saying,  and 
hearken  to  these  words,  for  all  they  are  worth.  Some  men 
may  esteem  them  lightly,  and  those  who  do  will,  without 
doubt,  fail  to  draw  near,  they  will  neglect  to  prove  the  Lord, 
they  will  not  fulfil  the  commandments  that  he  has  given, 
and  they  will  never  know  that  God  tells  the  truth,  and  that 
he  is  able  to  fulfil  his  word  and  promise  unto  his  people 
when  they  are  willing  to  obey  and  keep  his  law.  While  they 
who  appreciate  these  promises,  who  obey  these  laws  that 
were  given  anciently,  and  have  been  renewed  again  in  the 
dispensation  of  the  fulness  of  times,  for  the  blessing  of  the 
people,  for  the  building  up  of  Zion,  for  the  feeding  of  the 
widow  and  the  orphan,  or  the  spreading  of  the  gospel  of 
Christ  to  the  nations  of  the  earth,  and  for  the  gathering  of 
the  people  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth,  those  who 
hearken  to  these  words,  prize  them  as  the  truth,  and  apply 
them  in  their  practice  throughout  their  lives,  will  come  to 
know  that  God  is  a  rewarder  of  those  who  diligently  serve 
him,  and  that  he  is  able  to  fulfil  his  promises  unto  them. 

A  short  time  ago  I  met  with  a  brother — I  need  not  call 
his  name,  for  he  is  but  one  among  thousands  who  can  bear 
the  same  testimony,  not  only  by  the  word  of  mouth  but  by 


TITHING;  THE  POOR;  INDUSTRY        285 

the  evidences  of  thrift,  of  prosperity,  of  progress  and  of  im- 
provement which  surround  him  in  the  midst  of  the  deserts. 
This  season  he  has  gathered  in  rich  harvests,  his  farms  hav- 
ing produced  in  abundance,  while  the  farms  of  many  of  his 
neighbors  are  clogged  with  weeds,  and  their  harvests  have 
been  only  one-half  or  one-third  what  his  has  been.  How  do 
you  account  for  it  ?  I  account  for  it  in  the  fact  that  God  has 
blessed  him,  and  so  does  he,  for  he  is  an  intelligent  man,  a 
man  that  riot  only  labors  wisely  and  prudently,  but  in  the  fear 
of  God,  and  in  the  desire  of  his  heart  to  obey  his  laws.  He 
said  to  me  and  my  companion  with  whom  we  were  traveling : 
"God  has  blessed  me  because  I  have  striven  to  keep  his  laws, 
and  because  I  have  been  true  to  my  family."  He  went  out 
there  upon  the  desert  seven  or  eight  years  ago,  impoverished 
by  persecution  and  exile,  being  driven  from  his  home  and 
from  his  affairs,  compelled  to  .wander  in  exile  for  years,  part 
of  the  time  preaching  the  gospel.  He  returned  seven  or 
eight  years  ago,  and  settled  down  upon  the  desert.  Today, 
out  of  the  earth,  the  burning  sands,  he  has  produced  beauti- 
ful homes,  he  has  fruitful  fields,  which  are  spread  out  be- 
fore the  eyes  of  any  man  who  wishes  to  go  and  look  upon 
them.  He  pays  his  tithing,  he  remembers  his  offerings,  he 
is  obedient  to  the  laws  of  God,  and  he  is  not  afraid  to  bear 
testimony  to  his  friends  and  neighbors  that  it  is  through 
his  obedience  that  God  has  blessed  and  prospered  him, 
and  made  him  what  he  is  today.  He  is  not  the  only  one ; 
there  are  others  that  are  prospered  in  like  manner.  And  I 
testify  it  is  because  God  has  blessed  him,  and  his  soil,  and  his 
labors,  and  has  given  him  the  increase,  securing  to  him  the 
blessings  for  which  he  sought  and  labored.  He  has  acted 
in  good  faith  with  the  Lord,  the  Lord  has  known  his  heart, 
and  has  blessed  him  accordingly,  and  he  is  prosperous  today 
in  that  desert,  while  as  to  many  of  his  neighbors — go  and 
look  for  yourselves  at  their  broad  acres.  They  tell  the  story 
for  themselves.  His  lands  are  clear  from  noxious  weeds, 


286  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

because  he  has  labored,  and  taken  care  of  his  lands,  and  that 
by  industry  and  intelligent  application  of  labor,  showing  that 
God  has  inspired  him,  and  enlightened  his  mind.  The  Lord 
has  blessed  him  in  his  basket  and  in  his  store,  in  his  labors 
and  in  the  thoughts  of  his  mind,  he  has  been  inspired  and 
enabled  to  accomplish  the  work  that  he  has  done ;  I  testify 
that  it  is  because  of  man's  faith  in  the  promises  of  the  Lord, 
and  his  desire  to  obey  his  laws,  that  he  is  blessed  and  pros- 
pered of  him.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1897,  pp.  35,  36. 

THE  WIDOW  AND  HER  TITHING.  Will  you  then  deny 
the  widow,  because  she  has  only  a  mite  to  bestow  ?  Because 
the  tenth  which  she  proposes  to  give  in  obedience  to  the 
commandment  of  God  is  but  a  penny,  are  you  going  to  de- 
prive her  of  the  privilege  of  having  her  name  enrolled  on 
the  book  of  the  law  of  the  Lord,  and  of  having  her  gen- 
ealogy acknowledged  and  recorded  in  the  archives  of  the 
Church  ?  And  because  her  name  is  not  found  there,  are  you 
going  to  deny  her  the  privileges  of  the  house  of  God  and  of 
the  ordinances  of  the  gospel?  I  think  it  is  time  the  bishops 
understood  this  principle.  The  bishop  should  encourage 
every  man,  woman  and  child  who  earns  and  receives  a  return 
for  his  labor,  to  honor  the  Lord  and  to  prove  his  obedience 
to  the  law  of  God  by  giving  the  one-tenth  of  that  which 
he  or  she  receives,  as  the  Lord  requires,  so  that  they  may 
have  their  names  enrolled  on  the  book  of  the  law  of  the 
Lord,  that  their  genealogies  may  be  had  in  the  archives  of 
the  Church,  and  that  they  may  be  entitled  to  the  privileges 
and  blessings  of  the  house  of  God. 

•  I  recollect  most  vividly  a  circumstance  that  occurred  in 
the  days  of  my  childhood.  My  mother  was  a  widow,  with  a 
large  family  to  provide  for.  One  spring  when  we  opened 
our  potato  pits,  she  had  her  boys  get  a  load  of  the  best  po- 
tatoes, and'  she  took  them  to  the  tithing  office ;  potatoes  were 
scarce  that  season.  I  was  a  little  boy  at  the  time,  and  drove 
the  team.  When  we  drove  up  to  the  steps  of  the  tithing 


TITHING;  THE  POOR;  INDUSTRY        287 

office,  ready  to  unload  the  potatoes,  one  of  the  clerks  came 
out  and  said  to  my  mother,  "Widow  Smith,  it's  a  shame  that 
you  should  have  to  pay  tithing."  He  said  a  number  of  other 
things  that  I  remember  well,  but  they  are  not  necessary  for 
me  to  repeat  here.  The  first  two  letters  of  the  name  of 
that  tithing  clerk  was  William  Thompson,  and  he  chided  my 
mother  for  paying  her  tithing,  called  her  anything  but  wise 
or  prudent ;  and  said  there  were  others  who  were  strong 
and  able  to  work  that  were  supported  from  the  tithing  of- 
fice. My  mother  turned  upon  him  and  said :  "William,  you 
ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself.  Would  you  deny  me  a 
blessing?  If  I  did  not  pay  my- tithing,  I  should  expect  the 
Lord  to  withhold  his  blessings  from  me.  I  pay  my  tithing, 
not  only  because  it  is  a  law  of  God,  but  because  I  expect  a 
blessing  by  doing  it.  By  keeping  this  and  other  laws,  I  ex- 
pect to  prosper,  and  to  be  able  to  provide  for  my  family." 
Though  she  was  a  widow,  you  may  turn  to  the  records  of 
the  Church  from  the  beginning  unto  the  day  of  her  death, 
and  you  will  find  that  she  never  received  a  farthing  from 
the  Church  to  help  her  support  herself  and  her  family;  but 
she  paid  in  thousands  of  dollars  in  wheat,  potatoes,  corn,  veg- 
etables, meat,  etc.  The  tithes  of  her  sheep  and  cattle,  the 
tenth  pound  of  her  butter,  her  tenth  chicken,-  the  tenth  of  her 
eggs,  the  tenth  pig,  the  tenth  calf,  the  tenth  colt — -a  tenth  of 
everything  she  raised  was  paid.  Here  sits  my  brother,  who 
can  bear  testimony  to  the  truth  of  what  I  say,  as  can  others 
who  knew  her.  She  prospered  because  she  obeyed  the  laws 
of  God.  She  had  abundance  to  sustain  her  family.  We 
never  lacked  so  much  as  many  others  did ;  for  while  we 
found  nettle  greens  most  acceptable  when  we  first  came  to 
the  valley;  and  while  we  enjoyed  thistle  roots,  segoes  and' 
all  that  kind  of  thing,  we  were  no  worse  'off  than  thousands 
of  others,  and  not  so  bad  off  as  many,  for  we  were  never 
without  corn-meal  and  milk  or  butter,  to  my  knowledge. 
Then  that  widow  had  her  name  recorded  in  the  book  of  the 


288  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

law  of  the  Lord.  That  widow  was  entitled  to  the  priv- 
ileges of  the  house  of  God.  No  ordinance  of  the  gospel 
could  be  denied  her,  for  she  was  obedient  to  the  laws  of 
God,  and  she  would  not  fail  in  her  duty,  though  discouraged 
from  observing  a  commandment  of  God  by  one  who  was  in 
an  official  position. 

This  may  be  said  to  be  personal.  By  some  it  may  be 
considered  egotistical.  But  I  do  not  speak  of  it  in  that 
light.  When  William  Thompson  told  my  mother  that  she 
ought  not  to  pay  tithing,  I  thought  he  was  one  of  the  finest 
fellows  in  the  world.  I  believed  every  word  he  said.  I  had 
to  work  and  dig  and  toil  myself.  I  had  to  help  plow  the 
ground,  plant  the  potatoes,  hoe  the  potatoes,  dig  the  potatoes, 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  and  then  to  load  up  a  big  wagon- 
box  full  of  the  very  best  we  had,  leaving  out  the  poor  ones, 
and  bringing  the  load  to  the  tithing  office,  I  thought  in  my 
childish  way  that  it  looked  a  little  hard,  especially  when  I 
saw  certain  of  my  playmates  and  early  associates  of  child- 
hood, playing  around,  riding  horses  and  having  good  times, 
and  who  scarcely  ever  did  a  lick  of  work  in  their  lives,  and 
yet  were  being  fed  from  the  public  crib.  Where  are  those 
boys  today?  Are  they  known  in  the  Church?  Are  they 
prominent  among  the  people  of  God  ?  Are  they  or  were  they 
ever  valiant  in  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ?  Have  they 
a  clear  testimony  of  the  truth  in  their  hearts?  Are  they 
diligent  members  of  the  Church  ?  No,  and  never  have  been 
— as  a  rule,  and  most  of  them  are  dead  or  vanished  out  of 
sight.  Well,  after  I  got  a  few  years  of  experience,  I  was 
converted,  I  found  that  my  mother  was  right  and  that  Wil- 
liam Thompson  was  wrong.  He  denied  the  faith,  aposta- 
tized, left  the  country,  and  led  away  as  many  of  his  family 
as  would  go  with  him.  I  do  not  want  you  to  deny  me  the 
privilege  of  being  numbered  with  those  who  have  the  inter- 
ests of  Zion  at  heart,  and  who  desire  to  contribute  their  pro- 
portion to  the  upbuilding  of  Zion,  and  for  the  maintenance 


TITHING;  THE  POOR;  INDUSTRY        289 

of  the  work  of  the  Lord  in  the  earth.  It  is  a  blessing  that 
I  enjoy,  and  I  do  not  purpose  that  anybody  shall  deprive 
me  of  that  pleasure.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1900,  pp.  48,  49. 

THE  WIDOW  AND  TITHING.  I  preach  that  which  I  be- 
lieve and  that  which  I  do  know  to  be  true ;  and  I  do  know 
that  if  men  will  obey  the  laws  of  God,  God  will  honor  and 
bless  them.  I  have  proven  it  all  my  life  through.  I  saw 
it  manifested  in  circumstances  which  occurred  in  my  child- 
hood, and  I  know  that  God  has  blessed  the  widow  and  the 
fatherless  when  they  have  been  obedient  to  his  laws  and 
have  kept  his  commandments. 

I  can  tell  you  the  history  of  a  widow  woman,  with  a  large 
family,  who  was  more  particular,  if  possible,  to  pay  to  the 
Lord  what  belonged  to  him  than  she  was  to  pay  to  her  neigh- 
bors to  whom  she  might  be  indebted,  and  she  never  was 
indebted  to  her  neighbors,  thank  God,  for  anything  that  she 
did  not  pay  to  the  last  cent,  because  the  Lord  blessed  her 
with  plenty,  and  in  her  latter  years  she  did  not  have  to  bor- 
row of  her  neighbors,  nor  did  she  have  to  call  upon  the 
Church  for  support  either,  but  she  paid  thousands  of-dollars 
in  products  and  money  into  the  storehouse  of  the  Lord,  al- 
though she  was  a  widow  with  a  large  family  to  support.  I 
know  this.  I  can  testify  of  this,  and  that  the  Lord  Almighty 
blessed  her,  not  only  in  the  products  of  her  fields,  but  in  her 
flocks  and  herds.  They  were  not  devoured.  They  were  not 
destroyed.  They  did  not  lie  down  and  die.  They  in- 
creased. They  did  not  stray  away ;  and  thieves  did  not  steal 
them.  One  reason  for  that  was,  she  had  a  little  boy  that 
watched  them  very  carefully  under  her  direction,  and 
prompting.  Her  eye  was  upon  everything,  she  had  super- 
vision over  everything,  she  directed  those  whom  she  em- 
ployed, and  her  children ;  and  I  am  a  witness — and  here 
sits  another  witness  (Patriarch  John  Smith) — that  God,  the 
eternal  Father,  blessed  her  and  prospered  her  while  she 

20 


290  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

lived,  and  she  was  not  only  enabled  to  maintain  herself  and 
children  that  were  left' to  her  in  poverty,  in  a  day  of  trial, 
and  when  she  was  driven  out  into  the  wilderness,  but  she 
was  able  to  feed  scores  of  the  poor,  and  to  pay  her  tithes 
besides.  Verily  the  Lord  prospered  her,  and  she  was  blessed. 
-Oct.  C.  R.,  1897,  pp.  35-37. 

WHO  RECEIVE  CHURCH  HELP  SHOULD  BE  TITHE  PAY- 
ERS. When  one  comes  to  a  bishop  and  asks  for  assistance 
because  of  his  or  her  straitened  circumstances,  the  first 
thing  the  bishop  should  do  is  to  inquire  if  he  or  she  is  a 
tithe-payer.  He  should  know  whether  the  name  is  on  the 
book  of  the  law  of  the  Lord,  and  if  not  on  the  book,  if  he  or 
she  has  been  derelict  and  negligent  in  relation  to  this  prin- 
ciple of  tithing,  he  or  she  has  no  claim  upon  the  bishop, 
neither  have  their  children ;  and  if,  under  those  circum- 
stances, the  bishop  assists  him,  it  will  simply  be  out  of  pure 
charity  and  not  because  such  have  any  claim  upon  the 
Church.  That  is  why  the  widow  who  receives  assistance 
from  the  Church  should  pay  her  tithing,  so  that  her  name 
may  be  on  the  records  of  the  Church.  It  is  not  a  law  that 
is  applicable  to  one  and  not  to  another.  If  the  rich  may 
not  receive  blessings  because  their  names  are  not  on  the 
record,  then  neither  shall  the  poor  receive  blessings  in  the 
house  of  God,  if  their  names  are  not  recorded.  So  long  as 
a  poor  person  receives  his  or  her  support  through  the  tith- 
ings  of  the  people,  they  should  be  willing  to  observe  the  law 
themselves  in  order  that  they  may  be  entitled  to  what  they 
receive.  They  should  show  by  their  observance  of  the  law 
that  they  are  law-keepers  and  not  law-breakers.  Our  chil- 
dren, as  soon  as  they  become  old  enough  to  earn  means/ 
should  be  taught  to  pay  their  tithing,  that  their  names  may 
be  written  in  the  book  of  the  law  of  the  Lord,  so  that  if  per- 
chance their  fathers  die  and  they  are  left  orphans,  their 
names,  as  well  as  the  names  of  their  parents,  will  be  found 
upon  the  records  and  they  will,  as  God  lives,  be  entitled  to 


TITHING;  THE  POOR;  INDUSTRY        291 

their  support  and  to  their  education.  It  is  our  duty  to  look 
after  these  children  and  see  that  they  have  an  equal  chance 
with  those  who  are  more  favored  with  parents  to  look  after 
them.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1899,  pp.  44,  45. 

USE  OF  TITHING.  I  mention  this  simply  to  show  that 
these  men,  whose  whole  time  is  occupied  in  the  ministry,  are 
only  drawing  their  necessary  support  from  the  Church.  They 
must  have  that.  You  would  not  begrudge  them  that.  Men 
who  are  faithful,  valiant,  instant  in  season  and  out  of  sea- 
son, and  consequently  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  ministry, 
you  surely  would  not  say  that  they  should  not  have  food  to 
eat,  raiment  to  wear,  and  where  to  lay  their  heads ;  and 
that  is  all  these  men  get  from  the  Church.  The  laborer  is 
certainly  worthy  of  his  hire.  So  that  your  tithing  is 
not  enriching  your  brethren  of  the  ministry..  It  is 
being  used  to  keep  up  the  ordinances  of  the  house  of 
God  in  these  four  temples.  Thousands  and  thousands  of  dol- 
lars of  it  are  being  used  in  educating  the  youth  of  Zion  and 
in  maintaining  the  Church  schools.  Thousands  of  dollars 
are  being  expended  to  feed  and  clothe  the  poor,  and  to  take 
care  of  those  who  are  dependent  upon  the  Church.  They 
look  to  their  "mother"  for  succor  and  support,  and  it  is 
right  and  proper  that  the  Church  should  provide  for  its  own 
poor  and  indigent,  feeble  and  helpless,  so  far  as  possible. — 
Apr.  C.  R.,  1901,  p.  71. 

COMMERCIALISM  AND  TITHING.  The  Church  is  charged 
with  commercialism.  There  is  not  the  least  semblance  of 
it,  in  truth.  The  Church  is  neither  buying  nor  selling  goods 
or  chattels.  It  is  not  engaged  in  merchandising  of  any  de- 
scription, and  never  has  been;  and  there  could  not  well  be 
a  more  false  and  groundless  statement  made  against  the 
Church  than  to  charge  it  with  commercialism.  It  is  true 
that,  unlike  other  churches  or  religious  organizations,  the 
people  of  this  Church  observe  the  law  of  tithing,  which  is 
the  law  of  revenue  of  the  Church.  We  do  not  pass  around 


292  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

the  hat  to  you,  nor  the  collection  box,  for  means  to  defray 
the  expenses  incident  to  the  carrying  on  of  the  work  of  the 
Church.  You  give  it  voluntarily.  This  reminds  me  of  an- 
other falsehood  that  is  spread  abroad  by  our  enemies, 
namely:  That  the  "Mormon"  people  are  compelled  to  pay 
tithing,  that  the  authorities  of  the  Church  demand  it  of  them, 
that  it  is  made  obligatory  upon  them,  and  is  tyrannically  ex- 
acted from  them  all  the  time,  which  is  an  infamous  falsehood, 
a  slander,  for  there  is  not  a  word  or  syllable  of  truth  in  it. 
The  observance  of  the  law  of  tithing  is  voluntary.  I  can 
pay  my  tithing  or  not,  as  I  choose.  It  is  a  matter  of  choice 
with  me,  whether  I  will  do  it  or  not  do  it ;  but,  feeling  as  I 
do,  loyal  to  the  Church,  loyal  to  its  interests,  believing  that 
it  is  right  and  just  to  observe  the  law  of  tithing,  I  do  ob- 
serve it — on  the  same  principle  that  I  think  it  is  right  for  me 
to  observe  the  law  of  repentance,  and  of  baptism,  for  the 
remission  of  sins.  It  is  my  plesaure  to  do  my  duty  with 
reference  to  the  observance  of  these  principles,  and  to  pay 
my  tithing.  The  Lord  has  revealed  how  this  means  shall 
be  cared  for,  and  managed;  namely,  by  the  Presidency  of 
the  Church  and  the  High  Council  of  the  Church;  (that  is, 
the  Twelve  Apostles),  and  the  Presiding  Bishopric  of  the 
Church.  I  think  there  is  wisdom  in  this.  It  is  not  left  for 
one  man  to  dispose  of  it,  or  to  handle  it  alone,  not  by  any 
means.  It  devolves  upon  at  least  eighteen  men,  men  of  wis- 
dom, of  faith,  of  ability,  as  these  eighteen  men  are.  I  say  it 
devolves  upon  them  to  dispose  of  the  tithes  of  the  people,  and 
to  use  them  for  whatever  purpose  in  their  judgment  and 
wisdom  will  accomplish  the  most  good  for  the  Church ;  and 
because  this  fund  of  tithing  is  disposed  of  by  these  men 
whom  the  Lord  has  designated  as  having  authority  to  do  it, 
for  the  necessities  and  benefit  of  the  Church,  they  call  it 
"commercialism."  What  absurdity!  You  may  just  as  well 
call  their  practices  in  passing  around  their  contribution 
boxes,  for  collecting  means  with  which  to  build  their 


TITHING;  THE  POOR;  INDUSTRY        293 

churches,  with  which  to  pay  their  ministers,  and  with  which 
to  carry  on  the  monetary  affairs  of  their  churches,  "com- 
mercialism," as  for  them  to  charge  us  with  "commercialism," 
because  we  handle  the  tithing  of  the  Church,  and  appropriate 
and  use  it  for  the  benefit  of  the  Church.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1912, 
pp.  5,  6. 

TITHING  USED  CAREFULLY  AND  FULL  ACCOUNTS  KEPT. 
I  defy  any  man  on  earth  to  point  his  finger  to  a  dollar  that  is 
wilfully  wasted  or  stolen  by  the  servants  of  God.  The  tith- 
ing books  are  kept  as  accurately  and  as  perfectly  as  any 
books  are  kept  in  any  bank.  Every  man  who  pays  a  dollar 
tithing  gets  his  credit  on  the  books ;  and  if  he  wants  to  see 
that  his  credit  is  there  he  can  go  and  see  for  himself.  But  we 
do  not  propose  to  open  our  books  and  show  your  account  to 
every  Tom,  Dick  and  Harry  in  the  land  who  never  did  pay 
any  tithing.  We  do  not  propose  to  do  that,  if  we  can  help 
it.  But  you  Latter-day  Saints,  who  pay  your  tithes  and  your 
offerings,  if  you  want  to  see  for  yourselves  that  you  may  be 
eye  and  ear  witnesses,  the  books  are  open  to  you,  and  you 
can  come  and  examine  your  accounts  any  business  day  you 
want.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1905,  p.  5. 

BOOKS  OPEN  TO  TITHE-PAYERS.  The  man  who  com- 
plains about  not  knowing  what  is  done  with  the  tithing,  in 
ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred,  is  the  man  who  has  no 
credit  on  the  books  of  the  Church  for  paying  tithing.  We 
do  not  care  to  exhibit  the  books  of  the  Church  to  such  carp- 
ers, and  to  that  class  of  people.  But  there  is  not  a  tithe- 
payer  in  the  Church  who  cannot  go  to  the  Presiding  Bish- 
op's office,  or  to  the  office  of  the  Trustee-in-Trust,  if  he 
desires,  and  find  his  account,  and  see  to  it  that  every  dollar 
he  has  given  to  the  Lord  for  tithing  is  credited  to  him. 
Then,  if  he  wants  to  be  more  searching  as  a  tithe-payer,  and 
find  out  what  is  done  with  the  tithing,  we  will  set  before  him 
the  whole  thing,  and  if  he  has  any  good  counsel  to  give  us 
we  will  take  it  from  him.  But  we  will  not — because  we  do 


294  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

not  have  to,  and  it  is  not  the  business  of  the  world  to  require 
it — open  our  books  to  the  world,  unless  we  wish  to.  We  are 
not  ashamed  of  them.  We  are  not  afraid  for  them  to  be 
inspected.  They  are  honest  and  straight ;  and  there  is  not  a 
man  in  the  world  that  will  look  at  them,  but  will  say  so,  if 
he  is  honest  himself.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1906,  pp.  6,  7. 

WE  SHOULD  SYMPATHIZE  WITH  THE  UNFORTUNATE. 
We  too  frequently  see  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  our  chil- 
dren to  make  fun  of  the  unfortunate.  A  poor  cripple,  or  a 
poor,  weak-minded  person  comes  along,  and  the  boys  will 
poke  fun  at  him,  and  make  unbecoming  remarks  about  him. 
This  is  entirely  wrong,  and  such  a  spirit  as  this  should 
never  be  witnessed  among  the  children  of  the  Latter-day 
Saints.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1904,  pp.  87,  88. 

CHARITY  TO  BE  ACCEPTED  ONLY  WHEN  NECESSARY. — 
There  is  such  a  thing  as  encouraging  idleness  and  fostering 
pauperism  among  men.  Men  and  women  ought  not  to  be 
\villing  to  receive  charity  unless  they  are  compelled  to  do  so 
to  keep  them  from  suffering.  Every  man  and  woman  ought 
to  possess  the  spirit  of  independence,  a  self-sustaining  spirit, 
that  would  prompt  him  or  her  to  say,  when  they  are  in  need, 
"I  am  willing  to  give  my  labor  in  exchange  for  that  which 
you  give  me."  No  man  ought  to  be  satisfied  to  receive,  and 
to  do  nothing  for  it.  After  a  man  is  brought  down  to  pov- 
erty and  is  under  the  necessity  of  receiving  aid,  and  his 
friends  give  it  to  him,  he  should  feel  that  it  is  an  obligation 
under  which  he  is  placed,  and  when  the  Lord  should  open 
his  way  he  would  return  the  gift.  That  is  the  feeling  we 
should  cultivate  in  our  hearts,  to  make  us  a  free  and  inde- 
pendent people.  The  cultivation  of  any  other  feeling  or 
spirit  than  this  is  calculated  to  make  paupers,  to  degrade  and 
bring  mankind  down  to  beggary,  which  is  a  most  wretched 
condition  for  men  to  be  in.  It  is  a  bad  thing  for  men  to 
think  the  world  owes  them  a  living,  and  all  they  have  to  do 
is  to  beg  or  steal  to  get  it.  *  *  *  I  don't  refer  to  the 


TITHING;  Till*  rOOR;  INDUSTRY        295 

cripple,  or  to  those  who  are  enfeebled  by  age,  because  I  look 
at  them  in  an  entirely  different  light ;  there  is  a  necessity 
for  them  to  live,  and  there  is  a  necessity  for  us  to  assist 
such,  but  there  is  no  great  need  in  this  world  for  men  and 
women  who  are  able  to  work  and  will  not  work. — Apr.  C.  R., 
1898,  pp  46-48. 

CEASE  TO  WASTE  TIME  ;  CEASE  TO  BE  IDLE.  I  desire  to  say 
to  this  congregation  at  this  time  that  I  have  felt  very  strongly 
of  late  a  desire,  a  responsibility,  I  may  say,  resting  upon  me, 
to  admonish  the  Latter-day  Saints  everywhere  to  cease  loit- 
ering away  their  precious  time,  to  cease  from  all  idleness. 
It  is  said  in  the  revelations  that  the  idler  in  Zion  shall  not 
eat  the  bread  of  the  laborer,  and  there  is  vastly  too  much, 
in  some  parts — not  universally,  but  there  is  far  too  much  pre- 
cious time  wasted  by  the  youth  of  Zion,  and  perhaps  by 
some  that  are  older  and  more  experienced  and  who  ought  to 
know  better,  in  the  foolish,  vain  and  unprofitable  practice  of 
card-playing.  We  hear  of  card  parties  here  and  card  parties 
there,  and  entertainments  where  the  playing  of  cards  is  the 
principal  amusement ;  and  the  whole  evening  is  thus  wasted. 
The  whole  precious  time  of  those  who  are  gathered  together 
on  occasions  of  this  kind,  aggregating  many  hours,  abso- 
lutely wasted.  If  there  was  nothing  else  to  be  said  against 
this  practice,  that  alone  should  be  sufficient  to  induce  Latter- 
day  Saints  not  to  indulge  in  this  foolish  and  unprofitable 
pastime. 

Read  good  books.  Learn  to  sing  and  to  recite,  and  to 
converse  upon  subjects  that  will  be  of  interest  to  your  asso- 
ciates, and  at  your  social  gatherings,  instead  of  wasting  the 
time  in  senseless  practices  that  lead  only  to  mischief  and 
sometimes  to  serious  evil  and  wrong-doing;  instead  of  doing 
this,  seek  out  of  the  best  books  knowledge  and  understand- 
ing. Read  history.  Read  philosophy,  if  you  wish.  Read 
anything  that  is  good,  that  will  elevate  the  mind  and  will 
add  to  your  stock  of  knowledge,  that  those  who  associate 


296  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

with  you  may  feel  an  interest  in  your  pursuit  of  knowledge 
and  of  wisdom.— Ocf.  C.  R.,  1903,  p.  98. 

GOSPEL  BLESSINGS  OBTAINED  BY  LABOR.  We  can  never 
attain  to  the  blessings  of  the  gospel  by  merely  becoming  ac- 
quainted with  it  and  then  sitting  down  and  doing  nothing 
ourselves  to  stem  the  current  of  evil  that  is  preying  upon  us 
and  upon  the  world.— Apr.  C.  R,,  1900,  p.  40. 

IDLERS  HAVE  No  PLACE  IN  ZION.  There  should  be  no 
idlers  in  Zion.  Even  the  poor  who  have  to  be  assisted  should 
be  willing  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  earn  their  own  living. 
Not  one  man  or  woman  should  be  content  to  sit  down  and 
be  fed,  clothed  or  housed  without  any  exertion  on  his  or  her 
part  to  compensate  for  these  privileges.  All  men  and 
women  should  feel  a  degree  of  independence  of  character  that 
would  stimulate  them  to  do  something  for  a  living,  and  not 
be  idle ;  for  it  is  written  that  the  idler  shall  not  eat  the  bread 
of  the  laborer  in  Zion,  and  he  shall  not  have  place  among 
us.  Therefore,  it  is  necessary  that  we  should  be  industrious, 
that  we  should  intelligently  apply  our  labor  to  something 
that  is  productive  and  conducive  to  the  welfare  of  the  hu- 
man family.  God  help  us  to  do  this,  is  my  prayer.  Amen. — 
Apr.  C.  R.,  1899,  p.  42 ;  Doc.  and  Cov.  42 :42 ;  68 :30 ;  75  :29. 

A  MESSAGE  OF  THE  LATTER-DAY  SAINTS  ON  BEHALF  OF 
THE  POOR.  The  position  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  in  regard 
to  the  poor  is  perhaps  well  understood  by  most  readers  of  the 
Era.  But  there  are  some  points  which  are  not  quite  clear 
to  a  number  of  our  friends. 

God  has  commanded  this  people  to  remember  the  poor, 
and  to  give  means  for  their  support.  No  other  community, 
perhaps,  has  proved  more  willing  than  the  Latter-day  Saints 
to  obey  this  command.  They  have  demonstrated  this  in  the 
past  and  have  been  very  willing  to  impart  of  their  prop- 
erties to  aid  the  poor  and  unfortunate,  not  only  in  their  own 
midst,  but  also  those  who  live  in  other  nations  and  other 


TITHING;  TU1L  POOR;  INDUSTRY        297 

places  in  our  own  country.  No  call  for  help  has  ever  been 
heard  in  vain  by  them.  And  this  is  true,  notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  they  have  often  suffered  from  unjust  oppres- 
sion and  great  poverty,  in  which  they  have  received  little, 
if  any,  sympathy  and  no  help.  They  have  always  taken  care 
of  themselves  and  besides  have  helped  others. 

A  leading  mission  of  the  Church  is  to  teach  the  gospel 
of  Christ  in  the  world.  It  has  an  important  message  to 
deliver,  which  not  only  includes  the  spiritual  salvation  of 
men,  but  also  their  temporal  welfare.  It  not  only  teaches 
that  faith  is  necessary,  but  also  that  works  are  required. 
Belief  in  Jesus  is  well  and  good,  but  it  must  be  of  a  living 
kind  which  induces  the  believer  to  work  out  his  own  salva- 
tion, and  to  aid  others  to  do  the  same.  We  do  not  believe 
in  charity  as  a  business ;  but  rather  we  depend  on  mutual 
helpfulness.  While  the  gospel  message  requires  faith  and 
repentance,  it  requires  also  that  temporal  necessities  must  be 
met.  So  the  Lord  has  revealed  plans  for  the  temporal  sal- 
vation of  the  people.  For  the  benefit  of  the  poor  we  have  the 
fast  instituted,  a  leading  object  of  which  among  other  things 
is  to  provide  the  poor  with  food  and  other  necessities  until 
they  may  help  themselves.  For  it  is  clear  that  plans  which 
contemplate  only  relieving  present  distress  are  deficient.  The 
Church  has  always  sought  to  place  its  members  in  a  way  to 
help  themselves,  rather  than  adopting  the  method  of  so 
many  charitable  institutions  of  providing  for  only  present 
needs.  When  the  help  is  withdrawn  or  used  up,  more  must 
be  provided  from  the  same  sources,  thus  making  paupers  of 
the  poor  and  teaching  them  the  incorrect  principle  of  relying 
upon  others'  help,  instead  of  depending  upon  their  own  exer- 
tions. This  plan  has  made  the  Latter-day  Saints  independ- 
ent wherever  they  have  settled.  It  has  prevented  a  constant 
recurring  of  calls  for  help  and  established  permanent  condi- 
tions by  which  the  people  help  themselves.  Our  idea  of 
charity,  therefore,  is  to  relieve  present  wants  and  then  to 


298  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

put  the  poor  in  a  way  to  help  themselves  so  that  in  turn 
they  may  help  others.  The  funds  are  committed  for  distribu- 
tion to  wise  men,  generally  to  bishops  of  the  Church,  whose 
duty  it  is  to  look  after  the  poor. 

We  submit  the  equitable  fast-day  plan  of  the  Lord  to 
the  churches  of  the  world  as  a  wise  and  systematic  way  of 
providing  for  the  poor.  I  say  equitable  because  it  gives  an 
opportunity  for  the  contribution  of  much  or  little,  accord- 
ing to  the  position  and  standing  of  those  who  contribute ; 
and  besides,  it  helps  both  the  giver  and  the  receiver.  If 
the  churches  would  adopt  the  universal  monthly  fast-day,  as 
observed  by  the  Latter-day  Saints,  and  devote  the  means 
saved  during  the  day  to  the  alleviation,  blessing  and  benefit 
of  the  poor,  and  with  a  view  to  helping  them  to  help  them- 
selves, there  would  soon  be  no  poor  in  the  land. 

It  would  be  a  simple  matter  for  people  to  comply  with 
this  requirement — to  abstain  from  food  and  drink  one  day 
each  month,  and  to  dedicate  what  would  be  consumed  during 
that  day  to  the  poor,  and  as  much  more  as  they  pleased.  The 
Lord  has  institued  this  law ;  it  is  simple  and  perfect,  based 
on  reason  and  intelligence,  and  would  not  only  prove  a  solu- 
tion to  the  question  of  providing  for  the  poor,  but  it  would 
result  in  good  to  those  who  observe  the  law.  It  would  call 
attention  to  the  sin  of  over-eating,  place  the  body  in  subjec- 
tion to  the  spirit,  and  so  promote  communion  with  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  insure  a  spiritual  strength  and  power  which  the 
people  of  the  nation  so  greatly  need.  As  fasting  should  al- 
ways be  accompanied  by  prayer,  this  law  would  bring  the 
people  nearer  to  God,  and  divert  their  minds  once  a  month, 
at  least,  from  the  mad  rush  of  worldly  affairs,  and  cause 
them  to  be  brought  into  immediate  contact  with  practical, 
pure,  and  undented  religion — to  visit  the  fatherless  and  the 
widow  and  keep  themselves  unspotted  from  the  sins  of  the 
world.  For  religion  is  not  in  believing  the  commandments 


TITHING;  THE  POOR;  INDUSTRY        299 

only,  it  is  in  doing  them.  I  would  to  God  that  men  would 
not  only  believe  Jesus  Christ  and  his  teachings,  but  would 
broaden  their  belief  to  the  extent  of  doing  the  things  that  are 
taught  by  him  and  doing  them  in  spirit. 

He  certainly  taught  fasting,  prayer  and  helpfulness.  No 
better  start  can  be  made  than  by  fasting,  praying  to  God,  and 
sacrificing  means  for  the  poor.  This  law  combines  belief 
and  practice,  faith  and  works,  without  which  neither  Ar- 
menian nor  Latter-day  Saint,  neither  Jew  nor  Gentile,  can 
be  saved. 

When  appeals  are  made  to  the  Latter-day  Saints  for 
aid,  they  are  always  willing  to  comply ;  but  we  have  also  our 
mission  to  perform ;  to  preach  the  gospel,  to  establish  peace, 
secure  plenty,  and  promote  happiness  in  the  land ;  and  our 
people  have  learned  through  the  commandments  of  God 
how  to  take  care  of  themselves  and  are  trying  to  help  others 
to  do  likewise.  They  are  ever  helping  each  other  and  it  is 
seldom  that  poor  are  found  among  them  who  are  unpro- 
vided for.  They  are  practically  independent  and  may  be- 
come entirely  so  by  a  stricter  adherence  to  the  law  of  the 
Lord !  We  believe  that  if  other  communities  would  adopt 
the  plans  of  consecration,  fasting,  and  tithing  which  the 
Lord  has  revealed  to  the  Latter-day  Saints  and  carry  them 
out  in  spirit,  with  faith  and  works,  that  poverty  and  pau- 
perism would  be  greatly  reduced  or  entirely  overcome.  Op- 
portunities would  be  presented  so  that  all  might  obtain  work 
and  thus  provide  for  themselves ;  and  the  other  command 
of  the  Lord  would  be  obeyed :  "Thou  shalt  not  be  idle ;  for 
he  that  is  idle  shall  not  eat  the  bread  nor  wear  the  garments 
of  the  laborer." — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  10,  pp.  831-833. 


CHAPTER    XIV 

Temperance;  the  Sabbath 

MAN  SHOULD  BE  MASTER  OF  His  APPETITES.  How  hu- 
miliating it  must  be  to  a  thoughtful  man  to  feel  that  he  is  a 
slave  to  his  appetites,  or  to  an  over-weening  and  pernicious 
habit,  desire  or  passion.  We  believe  in  strict  temperance. 
We  believe  in  abstinence  from  all  injurious  practices,  and 
from  the  use  of  all  hurtful  things.  Poison,  in  the  judgment 
of  the  physician,  may  be  beneficial,  under  some  conditions  in 
life,  as  a  momentary  relief;  but  poison,  under  any  circum- 
stance, should  only  be  used  as  a  temporary  expedient,  neces- 
sary, perhaps,  in  our  best  judgment,  for  the  time  being,  for 
the  instant — for  sudden  and  certain  desired  relief — but  the 
continued  use  of  that  poison  will  fasten  its  fangs  upon  us, 
so  to  speak,  in  such  a  way  that  by  and  by  we  will  find  that 
we  are  overpowered  by  it,  and  we  become  slaves  of  the  per- 
nicious habit  that  becomes  a  tyrannical  master  over  us. — 
Apr.  C.  R.,  1908,  p.  4. 

MODERATION.  We  may  make  evil  of  all  amusements, 
but  the  Saints  should  not  be  unwise,  but  rather  understand 
what  the  will  of  the  Lord  is,  and  practice  moderation  in  all 
things.  They  should  avoid  excesses  and  cease  from  sin, 
putting  far  from  them  "the  lusts  of  men;"  and  in  their 
amusements  and  pastimes  adopt  a  course  that  looks  to  the 
spirit  as  well  as  the  letter,  the  intention  and  not  the  act  alone, 
the  whole  and  not  the  part,  which  is  the  meaning  of  mod- 
eration. In  this  way  their  conduct  will  be  reasonable  and 
becoming,  and  they  shall  find  no  trouble  in  understanding  the 
will  of  the  Lord. 

Let  me  exhort  the  young  people  particularly,  and  the 
Saints  generally,  to  weigh  well  the  value  of  moderation  in 
all  their  actions  and  amusements.  Remember,  too,  that  ex- 


TEMPERANCE;  THE  SABBATH  301 

cessive  feasting  is  not  good ;  neither  is  excessive  labor,  but 
idleness  and  waste  of  precious  time  is  infinitely  worse.  "Let 
your  moderation  be  known  to  all  men." — Improvement  Era, 
Vol.  6,  p.  857,  Sept.,  1903. 

TEMPERANCE.  We  endorse  any  movement  looking  to 
temperance,  looking  to  virtue,  tending  to  purity  of  life  and 
to  faith  in  God  and  obedience  to  his  laws ;  and  we  are  against 
evil  of  every  description;  and  we  are,  in  our  faith  and 
prayers,  against  evil-doers — not  that  we  would  pray  for  evil 
to  come  upon  evil-doers,  but  that  evil-doers  might  see  the 
folly  of  their  ways  and  the  wickedness  of  their  acts  and  re- 
pent of  them  and  turn  away  from  them. — Oct.C.R.,  1908,  p.  8. 

How  TO  TEACH  TEMPERANCE.  The  best  way  to  teach 
temperance  is  to  keep  the  Word  of  Wisdom;  and  the  next 
best  is  to  assist  others  to  keep  it,  by  removing  artificial  temp- 
tations from  their  lives.  Such  temptation  is  the  saloon,  and 
it  is  time  that  the  sentiment  in  the  communities  where  the 
members  of  the  Church  reside  should  be  declared  against  this 
soul-destroying  evil. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  46,  p.  333, 
June,  1911. 

USE  OF  TOBACCO  AND  STRONG  DRINKS.  The  use  of 
tobacco  in  its  various  forms  and  of  strong  drinks  to  some 
extent  is  also  to  be  lamented  and  deplored,  especially  among 
the  youth,  and  this  evil  should  be  stamped  out.  The  people 
of  God  should  set  their  faces  like  flint  against  these  prac- 
tices, and  they  should  see  to  it  that  their  children  are  taught 
better,  and  that  a  better  example  is  set  before  them  by  their 
parents,  in  order  that  the  children  may  grow  up  without 
sin  in  these  things.— Oct.  C.  R.f  1901,  p.  2. 

Do  NOT  SMOKE.  Teach  your  children  not  to  smoke; 
persuade  them  not  to  do  it.  Watch  and  look  after  them, 
and  try  to  teach  them  better,  and  to  be  courteous  and  kind. 
— Apr.  C.  R.f  1905,  p.  86. 

THE  SALOON.  No  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  can  afford  to  do  himself  the  dis- 


302  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

honor,  or  bring  upon  himself  the  disgrace,  of  crossing  the 
threshold  of  a  liquor  saloon  or  a  gambling  hell,  or  of  any 
house  of  ill-fame  of  whatever  name  or  nature  it  may  be. 
No  Latter-day.  Saint,  no  member  of  the  Church,  can  afford 
it,  for  it  is  humiliating  to  him,  it  is  disgraceful  in  him  to  do 
it,  and  God  will  judge  him  according  to  his  works. — Oct.  C. 
R.,  1908,  p.  7. 

If,  I  say,  the  people  would  observe  the  principles  of  this 
revelation,  (Doc.  and  Cov.  89),  there  could  not  exist  in  their 
midst  that  most  obnoxious  institution  known  as  a  saloon ; 
it  can  not  exist  where  only  Latter-day  Saints  dwell. — Oct. 
C.  R.,  1908,  p.  6. 

DEFEAT  THE  LIQUOR  INTERESTS.  The  liquor  interests 
— the  enemies  of  the  race — are  again  making  keen  efforts  to 
restore  the  former  low-down  conditions.  In  some  places, 
we  understand,  enough  petitioners  have  already  been  ob- 
tained and  the  names  filed  with  the  commissioners  requesting 
an  election  this  June.  With  all  good  people  we  join  in  hop- 
ing that  these  efforts  may  utterly  fail  to  restore  the  saloon. 
This  should  be  the  desire  of  all  Latter-day  Saints,  and  their 
prayers  should  be  supported  by  their  works  and  votes.  In 
these  elections  the  wives,  mothers  and  sisters  have  their 
golden  opportunity  with  fathers  and  brothers  to  arise  and 
utterly  crush  the  cursed  traffic  in  drink  for  which  so  many 
have  suffered  in  sweat,  and  pain,  and  tears. — Improvement 
Era,  Vol.  16,  1912-13,  p.  824. 

VITALITY  AND  PATENT  MEDICINES.  Instead  of  flock- 
ing out  to  hear  smooth-tongued  impostors,  people  should 
leave  them  severely  alone.  Instead  of  dosing  themselves 
with  patent  medicines,  they  should  learn  to  keep  their 
bodies  healthy  by  right  living  (See  Doctrine  and  Covenants, 
Sec.  89),  by  inhaling  pure  air,  taking  plenty  of  exercise,  and 
bathing  not  only  often  in  fresh  water,  but  also  in  the  sun- 
shine with  which  our  merciful  Father  has  so  abundantly 
provided  us.  If  there  are  cases  of  sickness,  as  there  will  be 


TEMPERANCE;  THE  SABBATH          303 

notwithstanding  any  precaution  we  may  take,  which  com- 
mon sense  and  good  nursing,  or  simple  home  remedies  do 
not  suffice  to  cure,  let  us  follow  the  advice  of  the  Scriptures 
(James  5:14-16),  but  if  we  do  not  believe  in  the  elders,  or 
in  the  prayer  of  faith  saving  the  sick,  let  &  reputable  and 
faithful  physician  be  consulted.  By  all  means,  let  the  quack, 
the  traveling  fakir,  the  cure-all  nostrum,  and  the  indiscrim- 
inate dosing  with  patent  medicine,  be  abolished  like  so  much 
trash. 

The  young  man  who  would  cope  with  the  world,  who 
would  be  full  of  vigor,  and  fresh  for  the  battle  of  life, 
will  find  his  strength  in  living  according  to  the  word  of  the 
Lord;  for  the  promise  is  that  all  "who  remember  to  keep 
and  do  these  sayings,  walking  in  obedience  to  the  command- 
ments, shall  receive  health  in  their  navel,  and  marrow  to 
their  bones,  and  shall  find  wisdom  and  great  treasures  of 
knowledge,  even  hidden  treasures ;  and  shall  run  and  not  be 
weary,  and  shall  walk  and  not  faint;  and  I,  the  Lord,  give 
unto  them  a  promise,  that  the  destroying  angel  shall  pass  by 
them,  as  the  children  of  Israel,  and  not  slay  them." — Im- 
provement Era,  Vol.  5,  June,  1902,  p.  624. 

STAMP  OUT  PROFANITY  AND  VULGARITY.  We  should 
stamp  out  profanity,  and  vulgarity,  and  everything  of  that 
character  that  exists  among  us  ;  for  all  such  things  are  incom- 
patible with  the  gospel  and  inconsistent  with  the  people  of 
God.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1901,  p.  2. 

SATURDAY'S  WORK.  A  good  modern  eighth  command- 
ment might  read  something  like  this :  Do  not  so  overwork 
and  fret  on  Saturday  as  to  deprive  the  Sabbath  of  the  devo- 
tions and  worship  that  belong  to  it  as  a  day  of  rest. 

In  the  home,  Saturday  is  the  day  set  apart  for  house- 
cleaning,  for  extra  cooking,  for  mending  and  all  sorts  of  re- 
pairs that  the  Sabbath  is  thought  to  require.  In  business, 
Saturday  is  a  day  for  picking  up  all  loose  ends,  for  closing 
up  all  the  unfinished  details  of  a  week's  work. 


304  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

The  consequences  of  our  modern  treatment  of  the  last 
day  of  the  week  are  too  often  manifested  in  an  indolence 
and  supine  indifference  that  make  our  feelings  and  a  total 
lack  of  energy  almost  incompatible  with  the  spirit  of  wor- 
ship. No  worn  out  man  or  woman,  by  the  excessive  toil  of 
an  early  Saturday  morning  and  a  late  Saturday  night,  can 
properly  worship  God  in  spirit,  and  in  truth. — Juvenile  In- 
structor, Vol.  44,  July,  1909,  p.  295. 

PURPOSE  OF  THE  SABBATH.  The  Sabbath  is  a  day  of 
rest  and  of  worship,  designated  and  set  apart  by  special  com- 
mandment of  the  Lord  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Lat- 
ter-day Saints,  and  we  should  honor  and  keep  it  holy.  We 
should  also  teach  our  children  this  principle. — Oct.  C.  R., 
1901,  pp.  1,2. 

THE  MEANING  OF  SUNDAY.  True,  Sunday  is  a  day  of 
rest,  a  change  from  the  ordinary  occupations  of  the  week, 
but  it  is  more  than  that.  It  is  a  day  of  worship,  a  day  in 
which  the  spiritual  life  of  man  may  be  enriched.  A  day  of 
indolence,  a  day  of  physical  recuperations  is  too  often  a  very 
different  thing  from  the  God-ordained  day  of  rest.  Phys- 
ical exhaustion  and  indolence  are  incompatible  with  a  spirit 
of  worship.  A  proper  observance  of  the  duties  and  devotions 
of  the  Sabbath  day  will,  by  its  change  and  its  spiritual  life, 
give  the  best  rest  that  man  can  enjoy  on  the  Sabbath  day. 

Saturday  evening  may  be  wisely  set  apart  as  a  time  for 
thoughtful  conversation  or  helpful  reading  as  an  introduc- 
tion to  the  Sabbath  day. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  44,  July, 
1909,  p.  297. 

WHAT  SHALL  WE  Do  ON  THE  SABBATH  DAY  ?  My  be- 
lief is  that  it  is  the  duty  of  Latter-day  Saints  to  honor  the 
Sabbath  day  and  keep  it  holy,  just  as  the  Lord  has  command- 
ed us  to  do.  Go  to  the  house  of  prayer.  Listen  to  instructions. 
Bear  your  testimony  to  the  truth.  Drink  at  the  fountain 
of  knowledge  and  of  instruction,  as  it  may  be  opened  for  us 
from  those  who  are  inspired  to  give  us  instruction.  When 


TEMPERANCE;  THE  SABBATH          305 

we  go  home,  get  the  family  together.  Let  us  sing  a  few 
songs.  Let  us  read  a  chapter  or  two  in  the  Bible,  or  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  or  in  the  book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants. 
Let  us  discuss  the  principles  of  the  gospel  which  pertain  to 
advancement  in  the  school  of  divine  knowledge,  and  in  this 
way  occupy  one  day  in  seven.  I  think  it  would  be  profit- 
able for  us  to  do  this. — M.  I.  A.  Conference,  June  11,  1916, 
Young  Woman's  Journal,  Vol.  27,  pp.  455-460. 

NECESSITY  OF  SUNDAY  WORSHIP.  It  is  imperatively 
necessary,  at  all  times,  and  especially  so  when  our  associa- 
tions do  not  afford  us  the  moral  and  spiritual  support  which 
we  require  for  our  advancement,  that  we  go  to  the  house 
of  the  Lord  to  worship  and  mingle  with  the  Saints  that  their 
moral  and  spiritual  influence  may  help  to  correct  our  false 
impressions  and  restore  us  to  that  life  which  the  duties  and 
obligations  of  our  conscience  and  true  religion  impose  upon 
us. 

"Good  times"  are  often  dangerous  times,  and  social  fra- 
ternity, if  not  of  the  right  character,  will  prove  more  harmful 
than  helpful.  Let  us,  therefore,  in  the  midst  of  our  worldly 
callings  and  associations,  not  forget  that  paramount  duty 
which  we  owe  to  ourselves  and  to  our  God. — Juvenile  In- 
structor, Vol.  47,  March,  1912,  p.  145. 

BE  WISE  IN  ALL  You  Do.  Leave  these  poisonous  and 
injurious  things  alone ;  live  within  your  means ;  get  out  of 
debt,  and  keep  out  of  debt ;  do  not  run  faster  than  you  can 
go  safely ;  be  careful  and  cautious  in  what  you  do ;  advise 
with  those  who  have  wisdom  and  experience,  before  you 
leap,  lest  you  leap  into  the  dark ;  and  so  guard  yourselves 
from  possible  evil  and  disadvantage,  that  the  Lord  can  pour 
out  the  blessings  of  heaven  upon  you,  yes  "open  the  windows 
of  heaven"  and  pour  out  upon  you  blessings  that  you  shall 
scarcely  have  room  to  contain  them. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1910, 
pp.  6,  7. 

THE  NATURE  AND  PURPOSE  OF  FASTING.  The  law  to  the 

21 


306  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

Latter-day  Saints,  as  understood  by  the  authorities  of  the 
Church,  is  that  food  and  drink  are  not  to  be  partaken  of  for 
twenty-four  hours,  "from  even  to  even,  and  that  the  Saints 
are  to  refrain  from  all  bodily  gratification  and  indulgences. 
Fast-day  being  on  the  Sabbath,  it  follows,  of  course,  that  all 
labor  is  to  be  abstained  from.  In  addition,  the  leading  and 
principal  object  of  the  institution  of  the  fast  among  the  Lat- 
ter-day Saints  was  that  the  poor  might  be  provided  with  food 
and  other  necessities.  It  is,  therefore,  incumbent  upon  every 
Latter-day  Saint  to  give  to  his  bishop,  on  fast  day,  the  food 
that  he  or  his  family  would  consume  for  the  day,  that  it  may 
be  given  to  the  poor  for  their  benefit  and  blessing;,  or,  in 
lieu  of  the  food,  that  its  equivalent  amount,  or  if  the  person 
is  wealthy  a  liberal  donation,  in  money,  be  so  reserved  and 
dedicated  to  the  poor. 

Now,  while  the  law  requires  the  Saints  in  all  the  world 
to  fast  from  "even  to  even"  and  to  abstain  both  from  food 
and  drink,  it  can  easily  be  seen  from  the.  Scriptures,  and 
especially  from  the  words  of  Jesus,  that  it  is  more  important 
to  obtain  the  true  spirit  of  love  for  God  and  man,  "purity 
of  heart  and  simplicity  of  intention,"  than  it  is  to  carry  out 
the  cold  letter  of  the  law.  The  Lord  has  instituted  the  fast 
on  a  reasonable  and  intelligent  basis,  and  none  of  his  works 
are  vain  or  unwise.  His  law  is  perfect  in  this  as  in  other 
things.  Hence,  those  who  can  are  required  to  comply  there- 
to ;  it  is  a  duty  from  which  they  cannot  escape ;  but  let  it  be 
remembered  that  the  observance  of  the  fast  day  by  abstain- 
ing twenty-four  hours  from  food  and  drink  is  not  an  absolute 
rule,  it  is  no  iron-clad  law  to  us,  but  it  is  left  with  the  people 
as  a  matter  of  conscience,  to  exercise  wisdom  and  discre- 
tion. Many  are  subject  to  weakness,  others  are  delicate  in 
health,  and  others  have  nursing  babies ;  of  such  it  should  not 
be  required  to  fast.  Neither  should  parents  compel  their 
little  children  to  fast.  I  have  known  children  to  cry  for 
something  to  eat  on  fast  day.  In  such  cases,  going  without 


TEMPERANCE;  THE  SABBATH          307 

food  will  do  them  no  good.  Instead,  they  dread  the  day  to 
come,  and  in  place  of  hailing  it,  dislike  it;  while  the  com- 
pulsion engenders  a  spirit  of  rebellion  in  them,  rather  than 
a  love  for  the  Lord  and  their  fellows.  Better  to  teach  them 
the  principle,  and  let  them  observe  it  when  they  are  old 
enough  to  choose  intelligently,  than  to  so  compel  them. 

But  those  should  fast  who  can,  and  all  classes  among  us 
should  be  taught  to  save  the  meals  which  they  would  eat, 
or  their  equivalent,  for  the  poor.  None  are  exempt  from 
this ;  it  is  required  of  the  Saints,  old  and  young,  in  every 
part  of  the  Church.  It  is  no  excuse  that  in  some  places 
there  are  no  poor.  In  such  cases  the  fast  donation  should 
be  forwarded  to  the  proper  authorities  for  transmission  to 
such  stakes  of  Zion  as  may  stand  in  need. 

So  shall  we  gain  favor  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  learn  the 
acceptable  fast  before  him. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  6,  De- 
cember, 1903,  p.  146. 

KEEPING  THE  SABBATH  HOLY.  To  observe  the  Sabbath 
day  properly  is  the  plain  duty  of  every  Latter-day  Saint — 
and  that  includes  the  young  men  and  young  women  and  the 
boys  and  girls.  It  may  seem  strange  that  it  should  be  neces- 
sary to  repeat  this  often-asserted  fact.  But  there  appears 
to  be  some  people,  and  sometimes  whole  communities,  who 
neglect  this  duty,  and  therefore  stand  in  need  of  this  ad- 
monition. 

What  are  we  required  to  do  on  the  Sabbath  day?  The 
revelations  of  the  Lord  to  the  Prophet  Joseph  are  very  plain 
on  this  subject,  and  these  should  govern  us,  for  they  are 
in  strict  harmony  with  the  teachings  of  the  Savior.  Here 
are  some  of  the  simple  requirements : 

The  Sabbath  is  appointed  unto  you  to  rest  from  your 
labors. 

The  Sabbath  is  a  special  day  for  you  to  worship,  to  pray, 
and  to  show  zeal  and  ardor  in  your  religious  faith  and  duty 
— to  pay  devotions  to  the  Most  High. 


308  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

The  Sabbath  is  a  day  when  you  are  required  to  offer 
your  time  and  attention  in  worship  of  the  Lord ,  whether  in 
meeting,  in  the  home,  or  wherever  you  may  be — that  is  the 
thought  that  should  occupy  your  mind. 

The  Sabbath  day  is  a  day  when,  with  your  brethren 
and  sisters,  you  should  attend  the  meetings  of  the  Saints, 
prepared  to  partake  of  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  supper ; 
having  first  confessed  your  sins  before  the  Lord  and  your 
brethren  and  sisters,  and  forgiven  your  fellows  as  you  expect 
the  Lord  to  forgive  you. 

On  the  Sabbath  day  you  are  to  do  no  other  thing  than 
to  prepare  your  food  with  singleness  of  heart,  that  your  fast- 
ing may  be  perfect,  and  your  joy  may  be  full.  This  is  what 
the  Lord  calls  fasting  and  prayer. 

The  reason  for  this  required  course  upon  the  Sabbath 
day  is  also  plainly  stated  in  the  revelations.  It  is  that  one 
may  more  fully  keep  himself  unspotted  from  the  world; 
and  to  this  end,  also,  the  Saints  are  required  to  go  to  the 
house  of  prayer  and  offer  up  their  sacraments  on  the  Sab- 
bath day. 

Now,  what  is  the  promise  to  the  Saints  who  observe 
the  Sabath?  The  Lord  declares  that  inasmuch  as  they  do 
this  with  cheerful  hearts  and  countenances,  the  fulness  of 
the  earth  is  theirs :  "the  beasts  of  the  field  and  the  fowls  of 
the  air,  and  that  which  climbeth  upon  the  trees  and  walketh 
upon  the  earth.  Yea,  and  the  herb,  and  the  good  things 
which  cometh  of  the  earth,  whether  for  food  or  for  raiment, 
or  for  houses,  or  for  barns,  or  for  orchards,  or  for  gardens, 
or  for  vineyards."  (Doc.  and  Cov.  59.) 

These  are  all  made  for  the  benefit  and  use  of  man,  to 
please  the  eye  and  to  gladden  the  heart,  to  strengthen  the 
body  and  to  enliven  the  soul.  All  are  promised  to  those  who 
keep  the  commandments,  and  among  the  commandments  is 
this  important  one,  to  observe  properly  the  Sabbath  day. 


TEMPERANCE;  THE  SABBATH          309 

The  Lord  is  not  pleased  with  people  who  know  these 
things  and  do  them  not. 

Men  are  not  resting  from  their  labors  when  they  plow, 
and  plant  and  haul  and  dig.  They  are  not  resting  when  they 
linger  around  the  home  all  day  on  Sunday,  doing  odd  jobs 
that  they  have  been  too  busy  to  do  on  other  days. 

Men  are  not  showing  zeal  and  ardor  in  their  religious 
faith  and  duty  when  they  hustle  off  early  Sunday  morning 
on  the  cars,  in  teams,  in  automobiles,  to  the  canyons,  the  re- 
sorts, and  to  visit  friends  or  places  of  amusement,  with  their 
wives  and  children.  They  are  not  paying  their  devotions 
in  this  way  to  the  Most  High. 

Not  in  seeking  pleasure  and  recreation  do  they  offer 
their  time  and  attention  in  the  worship  of  the  Lord ;  nor 
can  they  thus  rejoice  in  the  spirit  of  forgiveness  and  wor- 
ship that  comes  with  partaking  of  the  holy  sacrament. 

Boys  and  young  men  are  not  fasting  with  singleness  of 
heart,  that  their  joy  may  be  full,  when  they  spend  the  Sab- 
bath day  loafing  around  the  village  ice-cream  stand  or  restau- 
rant, playing  games,  or  in  buggy-riding,  fishing,  shooting, 
or  engaged  in  physical  sports,  excursions  and  outings.  Such 
is  not  the  course  that  will  keep  them  unspotted  from  the 
world,  but  rather  one  that  will  deprive  them  of  the  rich 
promises  of  the  Lord,  give  them  sorrow  instead  of  joy,  and 
unrest  and  anxiety  instead  of  the  peace  that  comes  with 
works  of  righteousness. 

Let  us  play  and  take  recreation  to  our  hearts'  content 
during  other  days,  but  on  the  Sabbath  let  us  rest,  worship, 
go  to  the  house  of  prayer,  partake  of  the  sacrament,  eat  our 
food  with  singleness  of  heart,  and  pay  our  devotions  to 
God,  that  the  fulness  of  the  earth  may  be  ours,  and  that  we 
may  have  peace  in  this  world  and  eternal  life  in  the  world 
to  come. 

"But,"  says  one,  "in  our  settlement  we  have  no  other 


310  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

day  for  amusement  and  sports,  excursions  and  outings,  ball 
games  and  races." 

Then  demand  one. 

Is  it  possible  that  parents,  in  the  face  of  the  promises 
of  the  Lord,  will  deny  a  day  in  the  week  when  their  children 
may  have  recreation;  and  so  force  them  to  spend  the  Sab- 
bath in  sports ! 

One  prominent  man,  in  one  of  the  northern  stakes, 
where  ball  games  and  other  sports  are  said  to  be  the  rule 
on  Sunday,  asked  what  could  be  done  to  remedy  the  evil. 
He  was  told  to  try  a  half  holiday  on  one  of  the  week  days. 

"Then,"  he  replied,  "we  can  have  no  change  nor  rem- 
edy. Here  are  hundreds  of  acres  of  hay  and  ripening  fields 
crying  for  workmen,  and  we  cannot  spare  our  boys  for  play." 

The  best  reply  to  such  an  argument  is  the  question : 
"\Yhich  is  best — to  let  the  hay  go  to  ruin,  or  the  boy?  Let 
the  hay  go ;  save  the  boy.  He  is  worth  more  than  all  your 
material  possessions.  Save  him  in  the  spirit  of  the  gospel — 
protect  him  from  Sabbath-breaking — by  offering  a  little  tem- 
poral sacrifice,  and  the  Lord-  will  keep  his  promise  to  you. 
Get  together  in  your  ward,  unitedly  select  a  day  for  play  and 
recreation ;  and  like  faithful  Saints  demand  that  the  Sabbath 
day,  as  far  as  you  and  yours  are  concerned,  shall  be  devoted 
to  the  Lord  our  God. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  13,  1909-10, 
pp.  842-844. 

Do  NOT  ROB  THE  SABBATH  DAY.  It  is  incumbent  on 
members  of  the  Church  to  so  plan  their  work  that  there 
shall  be  no  excuse  for  robbing  the  Lord's  day  of  its  sanc- 
tity. To  this  end  let  the  boys  and  girls  have  a  half  holiday 
during  the  week,  which  may  be  profitably  used  for  recre- 
ations, leaving  the  Sabbath  for  spiritual  culture  and  wor- 
ship. It  is  equally  obligatory  that  we  so  plan  our  amuse- 
ments that  these  shall  not  interfere  with  our  worship.  Let 
therefore  some  other  night  than  Saturday  be  provided  for 
the  purpose.  The  Lord  has  commanded  his  people  to  ob- 


TEMPERANCE;  THE  SABBA  TH          311 

serve  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy,  and  on  that  day  to 
go  to  the  house  of  prayer  and  offer  up  their  sacraments  in 
righteousness  with  willing'  hearts  and  penitent  spirits. — Im- 
provement Era,  Vol.  12,  1909,  p.  315. 

MAN  MUST  BE  MASTER  OF  HIMSELF.  No  man  is  safe 
unless  he  is  master  of  himself ;  and  there  is  no  tyrant  more 
merciless  or  more  to  be  dreaded  than  an  uncontrollable  appe- 
tite or  passion.  We  will  find  that  if  we  give  way  to  the 
groveling  appetites  of  the  flesh  and  follow  them  up,  that 
the  end  will  be  invariably  bitter,  injurious  and  sorrowful, 
both  to  the  individual  and  society.  It  is  hurtful  in  example 
as  well  as  in  its  individual  effects ;  dangerous  and  hurtful 
to  the  unwary;  while  the  denial  of  these  appetites — the 
crucifixion  of  the  flesh,  so  to  speak — and  an  aspiration  for 
something  noble ;  whenever  possible,  doing  good  to  our  fel- 
low creatures,  hoping  for  the  future,  laying  up  treasures  in 
heaven,  where  moth  and  rust  cannot  corrupt,  and  where 
thieves  cannot  break  through  and  steal — all  these  things 
will  bring  everlasting  happiness ;  happiness  for  this  world 
and  the  world  to  come.  If  there  is  no  pleasure  in  the  world 
except  that  which  we  experience  in  the  gratification  of  our 
physical  desires — eating,  drinking,  gay  associations,  and  the 
pleasures  of  the  world — then  the  enjoyments  of  the  world 
are  bubbles,  there  is  nothing  in  them,  there  is  no  lasting  ben- 
efit or  happiness  to  be  derived  from  them. — Deseret  Weekly 
News,  Vol.  33,  1884,  p.  130. 


CHAPTER   XV 
Many  Duties  of  Man 

THE  OBJECT  OF  MAN'S  EXISTENCE.  The  object  of  our 
being  here  is  to  do  the  will  of  the  Father  as  it  is  done  in 
heaven,  to  work  righteousness  in  the  earth,  to  subdue  wick- 
edness and  put  it  under  our  feet,  to  conquer  sin  and  the  ad- 
versary of  our  souls,  to  rise  above  the  imperfections  and 
weaknesses  of  poor,  fallen  humanity,  by  the  inspiration  of 
Almighty  God  and  his  power  made  manifest,  and  thus  be- 
come indeed  the  saints  and  servants  of  the  Lord  in  the  earth. 
— Apr.  C.  R.f  1902,  p.  85. 

WE  DEAL  WITH  THE^LORD.  We  are  dealing  with  our 
faith  and  consciences,  you  are  dealing  not  with  me,  not  with 
the  Presidency  of  the  Church,  but  with  the  Lord.  I  am  not 
dealing  with  men  respecting  my  tithing,  my  dealings  are 
with  the  Lord ;  that  is,  with  reference  to  my  own  conduct 
in  the  Church  as  a  tithe-payer,  and  with  reference  to  my  ob- 
servance of  the  other  laws  and  rules  of  the  Church ;  if  I  fail 
to  observe  the  laws  of  the  Church,  I  am  responsible  to  my 
God,  and  will  have  to  answer  to  him,  by  and  by,  for  my  neg- 
lect of  duty,  and  I  may  have  to  answer  to  the  Church  for  my 
fellowship.  If  I  do  my  duty,  according  to  my  understanding 
of  the  requirements  that  the  Lord  has  made  of  me,  then  I 
ought  to  have  a  conscience  void  of  offense ;  I  ought  to  have 
satisfaction  in  my  soul,  in  the  consciousness  that  I  have  sim- 
ply done  my  duty  as  I  understand  it,  and  I  will  risk  the  con- 
sequences. With  me  it  is  a  matter  between  me  and  the 
Lord ;  so  it  is  with  every  one  of  us. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1911,  p.  6. 

NECESSITY  FOR  ALL  TO  ACCOMPLISH  THEIR  MISSIONS. 
He  that  sent  his  Only  Begotten  Son  into  the  world  to  ac- 
complish the  mission  which  he  did,  also  sent  every  soul  with- 
in the  sound  of  my  voice,  and  indeed  every  man  and  woman 
in  the  world,  to  accomplish  a  mission,  and  that  mission  can- 


MANY  DUTIES  OF  MAN  313 

not  be  accomplished  by  neglect ;  nor  by  indifference ;  nor  can 
it  be  accomplished  in  ignorance.  We  must  learn  our  duty; 
learn  the  requirements  that  the  Lord  has  made  at  our  hands, 
and  understand  the  responsibilities  that  he  has  placed  upon 
us.  We  should  learn  the  obligation  that  we  are  under  to 
God  and  to  each  other,  and  that  we  are  under  also  to  the 
cause  of  Zion,  that  has  been  restored  to  the  earth  in  the  lat- 
ter days.  These  things  are  essential,  and  we  cannot  prosper 
in  spiritual  things,  we  cannot  grow  in  knowledge  and  under- 
standing, our  minds  cannot  expand  in  the  knowledge  of 
God,  nor  in  wisdom,  nor  in  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  with- 
out we  devote  our  thoughts  and  our  efforts  toward  our  own 
betterment,  toward  the  increase  of  our  own  wisdom,  and 
knowledge  in  the  things  of  God. 

We  labor  day  by  day  for  the  bread  that  perishes,  and 
we  devote  but  a  few  hours,  comparatively,  in  seeking  to 
obtain  the  bread  of  life.  Our  thoughts,  in  great  measure, 
are  placed  upon  worldly  things,  the  things  that  perish,  and 
therefore  we  are  prone  to  neglect  the  higher  duties  that 
devolve  upon  us  as  the  children  of  our  father,  and  to  for- 
get, in  some  measure,  the  greater  obligations  that  rest  upon 
us.  It  is  therefore  proper,  and  indeed  it  becomes  the  duty 
of  those  who  are  placed  upon  the  towers  as  watchmen  in 
Zion  to  exhort  the  people  to  diligence,  to  prayer  fulness,  to 
humility,  to  a  love  of  the  truth  that  has  been  revealed  to 
them,  and  to  earnest  devotion  to  the  work  of  the  Lord, 
which  is  intended  for  their  individual  salvation,  and  so  far  as 
they  have  influence  upon  others,  the  salvation  of  those  whom 
they  may  have  power  to  influence  to  move  in  the  right  direc- 
tion ;  not  that  I  can  save  any  man,  nor  that  any  one  man  can 
save  any  other  man  or  fit  him  for  exaltation  in  the  kingdom 
of  God.  This  is  not  given  to  me  to  do  for  others,  nor  is  it 
given  to  any  man  to  be  a  Savior  in  this  sense,  or  in  this 
way,  to  his  fellow  man ;  but  men  can  set  an  example ;  men 
can  urge  the  precepts  of  the  gospel.  Men  can  proclaim  the 


314  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

truth  to  others,  and  can  point  out  the  way  to  them  in  which 
to  walk,  and  if  they  will  barken  to  their  counsel,  listen  to 
their  admonitions  and  be  led  by  them,  they  themselves  will 
seek  the  path  of  life  and  they  will  walk  in  it,  and  obtain  their 
exaltation  for  themselves.  And  thus  the  work  required  of 
us  by  the  Lord  is  an  individual  work,  it  devolves  upon  each 
individual  alike.  No  man  can  be  saved  in  the  kingdom  of 
God  in  sin.  No  man  will  ever  be  forgiven  of  his  sins  by 
the  just  Judge,  except  he  repent  of  his  sins.  No  man  will 
ever  be  freed  from  the  power  of  death  unless  he  is  born 
again  as  the  Lord  Almighty  has  decreed,  and  declared  to 
the  world  by  the  mouth  of  his  Son  in  the  meridian  of  time, 
and  as  he  has  declared  it  again  in  this  dispensation  through 
the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith.  Men  can  only  be  saved  and 
exalted  in  the  kingdom  of  God  in  righteousness,  therefore 
we  must  repent  of  our  sins,  and  walk  in  the  light  as  Christ 
is  in  the  light,  that  his  blood  may  cleanse  us  from  all  sins, 
and  that  we  may  have  fellowship  with  God  and  receive  of 
his  glory  and  exaltation. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1907,  p.  4. 

GOD  HONORS  THOSE  WHO  HONOR  HIM.  Though  the 
Lord  should  try  me  by  withholding  his  blessings  from  me, 
and  making  me  to  drink  to  the  very  dregs  the  bitter  cup  of 
poverty,  that  should  make  no  difference  to  me.  The  point 
is,  what  is  the  law  of  God  ?  And  if  I  know  that  law,  it  is  my 
duty  to  obey  it,  though  I  suffer  death  in  consequence.  Many 
a  man  has  gone  to  the  stake  in  obedience,  as  he  believed, 
to  the  commandments  of  God.  Not  one  of  the  ancient  disci- 
ples who  were  chosen  of  Jesus  Christ,  escaped  martyrdom, 
except  Judas  and  John.  Judas  betrayed  the  Lord,  and  then 
sacrificed  his  own  life ;  and  John  received  the  promise  of  the 
Lord  that  he  should  live  until  he  came  again  to  the  earth. 
All  the  others  were  put  to  death,  some  crucified,  some  drag- 
ged in  the  streets  of  Rome,  some  thrown  from  pinnacles, 
and  some  stoned  to  death.  What  for?  For  obeying  the  law 
of  God  and  bearing  testimony  to  that  which  they  knew  to  be 


MANY  DUTIES  OF  MAN  315 

true.  So  may  it  be  today.  But  let  the  spirit  of  this  gospel 
be  so  imbedded  in  my  soul  that  though  I  go  through  poverty, 
through  tribulation,  through  persecution,  or  to  death,  let  me 
and  my  house  serve  God  and  keep  his  laws.  However,  the 
promise  is  that  you  shall  be  blessed  through  obedience.  God 
will  honor  those  who  honor  him,  and  will  remember  those 
who  remember  him.  He  will  uphold  and  sustain  all  those 
who  sustain  truth  and  are  faithful  to  it.  God  help  us,  there- 
fore, to  be  faithful  to  the  truth,  now  and  forever. — Apr.  C. 
R.,  1900,  pp.  49,  50. 

QUALIFICATIONS  OF  LATTER-DAY  SAINTS.  Now  we  all 
need  patience,  forbearance,  forgiveness,  humility,  charity, 
love  unfeigned,  devotion  to  the  truth,  abhorrence  of  sin 
and  wickedness,  rebellion  and  disobedience  to  the  require- 
ments of  the  gospel.  These  are  the  qualifications  requisite 
to  Latter-day  Saints  and  to  becoming  Latter-day  Saints  and 
members  in  good  standing  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
heirs  of  God  and  joint  heirs  with  Jesus  Christ.  No  mem- 
ber in  good  standing  in  the  Church  will  be  drunken  or  riot- 
ous or  profane  or  will  take  advantage  of  his  brother  or  his 
neighbor  or  will  violate  the  principles  of  virtue  and  honor 
and  righteousness.  No  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  in  good  standing  will  ever  be 
chargeable  with  such  offenses  as  these,  because  members  will 
avoid  these  evils,  and  they  will  live  above  them.  Then  we 
have  a  mission  in  the  world:  each  man,  each  woman,  each 
child,  who  has  grown  to  understanding  or  to  the  years  of 
accountability,  ought  to  be  an  example  to  the  world.  They 
ought  not  only  to  be  qualified  to  preach  the  truth,  to  bear  tes- 
timony of  the  truth,  but  ought  to  live  so  that  the  very  life 
they  live,  the  very  words  they  speak,  their  every  action  in 
life  will  be  a  sermon  to  the  unwary  and  to  the  ignorant, 
teaching  them  goodness,  purity,  uprightness,  faith  in  God 
and  love  for  the  human  family. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1916,  pp.  6,  7. 

PERFECTION  IN  OUR  SPHERE.    I  sincerely  hope  that  the 


316  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

spirit  of  the  conference  will  abide  with  us,  will  go  with  us 
to  our  homes,  and  that  we  will  be  able  to  continue  to  build 
on  the  foundations  of  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  until 
we  become  perfect,  even  as  our  Father  in  heaven  is  perfect, 
according  to  the  sphere  and  intelligence  that  we  act  in  and 
possess.  I  do  not  expect  that  any  of  us  will  ever  become  in 
mortality  quite  so  perfect  as  God  is  perfect;  but  in  the 
spheres  in  which  we  are  called  to  act,  and  according  to  the 
capacity  and  breadth  of  intelligence  that  we  possess,  in  our 
sphere  and  in  the  exercise  of  the  talent,  the  ability,  and  in- 
telligence that  God  has  given  to  us,  we  may  become  as  per- 
fect in  our  sphere  as  God  is  perfect  in  his  higher  and  more 
exalted  sphere.  I  believe  that.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1915,  p.  140. 

LET  EVERY  MAN  LIVE  TO  BEAR  CLOSEST  INSPECTION.  Let 
every  man's  life  be  so  that  his  character  will  bear  the  closest 
inspection,  and  that  it  may  be  seen  as  an  open  book,  so  that  he 
will  have  nothing  to  shrink  from  or  be  ashamed  of.  Let  all 
men  who  are  elevated  to  positions  of  trust  in  the  Church  live 
so  that  no  man  can  point  to  their  faults,  because  they  will  have 
no  faults;  so  that  no  man  can  justly  accuse  them  of  wrong- 
doing, because  they  do  no  wrong ;  that  no  man  can  point  out 
their  defects  as  "human"  and  as  "weak  mortals,"  because 
they  are  living  up  to  the  principles  of  the  gospel,  and  are 
not  merely  "weak  human  creatures,"  devoid  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  and  the  power  to  live  above  sin.  That  is  the  way  for 
all  men  to  live  in  the  kingdom  of  God. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1906, 
pp.  9,  10. 

NEED  OF  INDIVIDUAL  RESPONSIBILITY.  It  is  not  safe  for 
men  or  women  to  conclude  that  because  they  have  fulfilled 
carefully  their  public  responsibilities  they  have  done  all  that 
is  required  of  them.  Public  requirements  are  changeable. 
Public  demands  vary  with  the  times.  Sometimes  they  are 
strict  and  sometimes  they  are  very  lax.  Public  sentiment  be- 
comes fickle,  and  it  is  often  indifferent  to  the  conduct  of  indi- 
viduals who  take  license  from  a  public  indifference  to  wrong 


MANY  DUTIES  OF  MAN  317 

doing.  Individual  responsibility  is  more  concerned  with  the 
duties  which  men  owe  to  their  God  whose  requirements  are 
positive  and  constant.  When  men  feel  that  they  are  ever 
under  an  All-seeing  Eye,  their  conduct  is  measured  in  the 
strictest  terms.  They  are  not  subject  to  lapses  of  public 
sentiment. 

The  first  and  highest  standard  of  correct  living  is  to 
be  found  in  that  individual  responsibility  which  keeps  men 
good  for  the  truth's  sake.  It  is  not  difficult  for  men  who 
are  true  to  themselves  to  be  true  to  others.  Men  who  honor 
God  in  their  private  lives  do  not  need  the  restraint  of  pub- 
lic opinion  which  may  not  only  be  indifferent,  but  positively 
wrong.  It  is  by  the  individual  •  responsibilities  which  men 
feel  that  they  are  able  to  place  themselves  on  the  right  side 
of  all  public  questions.  Those  who  neglect  the  inner  life 
are  dependent  upon  public  guidance  which  leads  them  into 
all  sorts  of  inconsistencies. 

To  walk  safely  and  steadfastly  without  leaning  upon 
the  arm  of  flesh  is  the  individual  duty  of  every  Latter-day 
Saint.  Such  a  duty  becomes  a  responsibility  which  men  owe 
to  themselves  and  to  their  God.  The  Saints  should  study 
their  responsibilities,  both  public  and  individual,  and  find 
out,  if  they  can,  just  what  they  are. — Juvenile  Instructor, 
December,  1909,  Vol.  44,  p.  519. 

CONQUER  OURSELVES  FIRST.  I  feel  very  grateful  for 
the  excellent  peace  and  spirit  which  has  pervaded  all  our 
meetings.  It  is  true,  we  are  all  engaged  in  a  warfare,  and 
all  of  us  should  be  valiant  warriors  in  the  cause  in  which 
we  are  engaged.  Our  first  enemy  we  will  find  within  our- 
selves. It  is  a  good  thing  to  overcome  that  enemy  first  and 
bring  ourselves  into  subjection  to  the  will  of  the  Father, 
and  into  strict  obedience  to  the  principles  of  life  and  salva- 
tion which  he  has  given  to  the  world  for  the  salvation  of 
men.  When  we  shall  have  conquered  ourselves,  it  will  be 
well  for  us  to  wage  our  war  without,  against  false  teachings, 


318  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

false  doctrines,  false  customs,  habits  and  ways,  against  error, 
unbelief,  the  follies  of  the  world  that  are  so  prevalent,  and 
against  infidelity,  and  false  science,  under  the  name  of 
science,  and  every  other  thing  that  strikes  at  the  founda- 
tions of  the  principles  set  forth  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ  for 
the  redemption  of  men  and  the  salvation  of  their  souls — 
Oct.  C.  R.f  1914,  p.  128. 

LET  Us  CONQUER  OURSELVES.  Let  us  conquer  our- 
selves, and  then  go  to  and  conquer  all  the  evil  that  we  see 
around  us,  as  far  as  we  possibly  can.  And  we  will  do  it 
without  using  violence;  we  will  do  it  without  interfering 
with  the  agency  of  men  or  of  women.  We  will  do  it  by 
persuasion,  by  long-suffering,  by  patience,  and  by  forgive- 
ness and  love  unfeigned,  by  which  we  will  win  the  hearts, 
the  affections  and  the  souls  of  the  children  of  men  to  the 
truth,  as  God  has  revealed  it  to  us.  We  will  never  have 
peace,  nor  justice,  nor  truth,  until  we  look  to  the  only  true 
fountain  for  it,  and  receive  from  the  fountainhead. — Oct. 
C.  R.,  1906,  p.  129. 

CHARITY  THE  GREATEST  PRINCIPLE.  Charity,  or  love, 
is  the  greatest  principle  in  existence.  If  we  can  lend  a  help- 
ing hand  to  the  oppressed,  if  we  can  aid  those  who  are  de- 
spondent and  in  sorrow,  if  we  can  uplift  and  ameliorate  the 
condition  of  mankind,  it  is  our  mission  to  do  it,  it  is  an  es- 
sential part  of  our  religion  to  do  it. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1918,  p.  4. 

LOOK  FOR  GOOD;  NOT  FOR  EVIL.  Change  the  focus  of 
your  view,  and  of  your  eye,  from  watching  for  evil  to 
watching  for  that  which  is  good,  that  which  is  pure,  and 
leading  and  prompting  those  who  err  into  that  path  which 
has  no  error  in  it,  and  that  will  not  admit  of  mistakes.  Look 
for  good  in  men,  and  where  they  fail  to  possess  it,  try  to 
build  it  up  in  them;  try  to  increase  the  good  in  them;  look 
for  the  good ;  build  up  the  good ;  sustain  the  good ;  and  speak 
as  little  about  the  evil  as  you  possibly  can.  It  does  not  do 
any  good  to  magnify  evil,  to  publish  evil,  or  to  promulgate 


MANY  DUTIES  OF  MAN  319 

it  by  tongue  or  pen.  There  is  no  good  to  be  obtained  by  it. 
It  is  better  to  bury  the  evil  and  magnify  the  good,  and  prompt 
all  men  to  forsake  evil  and  learn  to  do  good;  and  let  our 
mission  be  to  save  mankind  and  to  teach  and  guide  in  the 
path  of  righteousness,  and  not  to  sit  as  judges  and  pass 
judgment  upon  evil-doers,  but  rather  to  be  saviors  of  men. 
— Apr.  C.  R.}  1913,  p.  8. 

ESTIMATE  MEN  BY  THEIR  NOBLE  DEEDS  One  fruitful 
source  of  apostasy  from  the  Church  comes  from  an  inclina- 
tion on  the  part  of  those  who  apostatize  to  consider  the 
small,  mostly  unintentionally  committed  errors  of  its  offi- 
cers, rather  than  the  broader  and  more  important  labors 
which  enter  into  their  experience.  Young  men  so  inclined 
turn  from  the  infinite  truth  of  the  gospel,  and  the  mighty 
plan  of  salvation,  the  eternal  purposes  of  God,  to  carp  and 
cavil  upon  the  insignificant  actions  and  the  imperfect  achieve- 
ments of  men,  judging  the  inspiring  magnitude  of  the  former 
by  the  disagreeable  and  tiresome  detail  of  the  latter.  Many 
of  the  serious  annoyances  of  communal  life  among  the  Saints 
would  be  obliterated  entirely  if  men  would  search  for  the 
great  and  noble  aspirations  actuating  their  neighbors,  rather 
than  for  the  imperfect  sidelights  that  lay  bare  their  puny 
shortcomings.  Those  who  wish  to  advance  in  the  world 
will  avoid  soul-destroying,  mind-narrowing  thoughts,  and 
devote  the  days  allotted  to  them,  which  it  will  be  found  are 
none  too  numerous,  in  studying  the  greater,  nobler,  and 
grander  subjects  that  tend  to  build  character,  provide  hap- 
piness, and  create  harmony  with  the  mighty  purposes  of  the 
Church  and  its  founder,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Let  us  estimate  our  brethren  by  their  best  desires  and 
noblest  aspirations,  not  by  their  trifling  shortcomings  and 
failures.  We  estimate  the  majesty  of  the  Wasatch  by  Monte 
Christo,  Baldy,  Observatory,  the  mighty  Cottonwoods,  Clay- 
ton, Timpanogos,  and  Nebo — its  loftiest  peaks — not  by  its 
rolling  elevations  or  hillocky  spurs,  rocks  ravines  or  tri- 


320  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

fling  canyons.  So  also  let  us  judge  our  fellows,  and  so  the 
Church.  It  is  the  better  way. — Improvement  Era,  March, 
1902,  Vol.  5,  p.  388. 

LET  Us  SUSTAIN  ONE  ANOTHER.  Let  us  sustain  Christ, 
his  people,  and  his  cause  of  righteousness  and  redemption; 
let  us  sustain  one  another  in  the  right,  and  kindly  admonish 
one  another  in  regard  to  wrongdoing,  that  we  may  be  friends 
and  saviors  on  Mount  Zion,  one  for  another,  and  that  we 
may  help  the  weak  and  strengthen  them,  encourage  the 
doubtful  and  bring  light  to  their  right  understandings  as 
far  as  it  is  possible,  that  we  may  be  instrumental  in  the 
hands  of  God  of  being  saviors  among  men.  Not  that  we 
have  power  to  save  men.  We  have  not ;  but  we  have  power 
to  show  them  how  they  can  obtain  salvation  through  obe- 
dience to  the  laws  of  God.  We  can  show  them  how  to  walk 
in  order  to  be  saved,  for  we  have  the  right  to  do  that,  we 
have  knowledge  and  understanding  as  to  how  to  do  it,  and 
it  is  our  privilege  to  teach  it  and  to  enforce  it  by  example  as 
well  as  by  precept  among  our  associates  wherever  we  are  in 
the  world.— Off.  C.  R.,  1907,  pp.  9,  10. 

Do  NOT  BEAR  MALICE  AGAINST  ONE  ANOTHER.  Breth- 
ren and  sisters,  we  want  you  to  be  united.  We  hope  and 
pray  that  you  will  go  from  this  conference  to  your  homes 
feeling  in  your  hearts  and'  from  the  depths  of  your  soul  to 
forgive  one  another,  and  never  from  this  time  forth  to  bear 
malice  towards  another  fellow-creature.  I  do  not  care 
whether  he  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints  or  not,  whether  he  is  a  friend  or  a  foe, 
whether  he  is  good  or  bad.  It  is  extremely  hurtful  for  any 
man  holding  the  priesthood,  and  enjoying  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  harbor  a  spirit  of  envy,  or  malice,  or  retalia- 
tion, or  intolerance  toward  or  against  his  fellow-men.  We 
ought  to  say  in  our  hearts,  let  God  judge  between  me  and 
thee,  but  as  for  me,  I  will  forgive.  I  want  to  say  to  you 
that  Latter-day  Saints  who  harbor  a  feeling  of  unforgive- 


MANY  DUTIES  OF  MAN  321 

ness  in  their  souls  are  more  guilty  and  more  censurable  than 
the  one  who  has  sinned  against  them.  Go  home  and  dismiss 
envy  and  hatred  from  your  hearts;  dismiss  the  feeling  of 
unforgiveness ;  and  cultivate  in  your  souls  that  spirit  of 
Christ  which  cried  out  upon  the  cross,  "Father,  forgive 
them ;  for  they  know  not  what  they  do."  This  is  the  spirit 
that  Latter-day  Saints  ought  to  possess  all  the  day  long. 
The  man  who  has  that  spirit  in  his  heart  and  keeps  it  there 
will  never  have  any  trouble  with  his  neighbor ;  he  will  never 
have  any  difficulties  to  bring  before  the  bishop,  nor  high 
council ;  but  he  will  always  be  at  peace  with  himself,  at  peace 
with  his  neighbors,  and  at  peace  with  God.  It  is  a  good 
thing  to  be  at  peace  with  God.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1902,  pp.  86,  87. 
HONOR  YOURSELVES  AND  YOUR  NEIGHBORS.  We  ad- 
monish, we  beseech  our  brothers  and  sisters,  in  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  not  only  to  honor  themselves  by  a  proper 
course  of  living,  but  also  to  honor  and  love  and  be  charitable 
to  their  neighbors,  every  one  of  them.  We  admonish  you  not 
only  to  keep  the  greatest  of  all  the  commandments  that  has 
ever  been  given  of  God  to  man,  to  love  the  Lord  your  God, 
with  all  your  heart,  and  mind,  and  strength,  but  we  exhort 
you  also  to  observe  that  second  law,  next  unto  it,  to  1o:/e 
your  neighbors  as  yourselves ;  return  good  for  evil,  do  not 
revile  others  because  you  are  or  may  be  reviled.  We  have 
no  need  to  tear  down  the  houses  of  other  people  (using  this 
expression  as  a  symbol).  We  are  perfectly  willing  that  they 
should  live  in  the  homes  they  have  erected  for  themselves, 
and  we  will  try  to  show  them  a  better  way.  While  we  will 
not  condemn  that  which  they  love  and  cherish  above  all 
other  things  in  the  world,  we  will  endeavor  to  show  them  a 
better  way  and  build  them  a  better  house,  and  then  invite 
them  kindly,  in  the  spirit  of  Christ,  of  true  Christianity,  to 
enter  the  better  dwelling.  That  is  the  principle,  and  I  wish 
to  impress  it  upon  you  this  morning.  I  desire  to  impress,  if 
I  can,  upon  the  minds  of  the  parents  the  necessity  of  prop- 

22 


322  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

erly  instructing  and  teaching  their  children  with  reference 
to  this  glorious  principle,  charity  and  love,  that  love  for  our 
neighbor  that  will  enable  us  to  cherish  his  rights  as  sacredly 
as  we  cherish  our  own,  to  defend  the  rights  and  liberties, 
put  up  the  fallen  bars  in  the  fences  of  our  neighbors  that 
are  carelessly  left  down,  just  as  we  would  put  our  own  bars 
up  surrounding  our  own  fields,  in  order  to  protect  our  crops 
from  the  ravages  of  stray  animals. — Ap.  C.  R.,  1917,  p.  4. 

AVOID  COURTS.  Be  reconciled  to  each  other.  Do  not 
go  to  the  courts  of  the  Church  nor  to  the  courts  of  the  land 
for  litigation.  Settle  your  own  troubles  and  difficulties ; 
and,  as  Bishop  Hunter  used  to  say,  which  is  an  axium  that 
cannot  be  disputed,  there  is  only  one  way  in  which  a  diffi- 
culty existing  between  man  and  man  can  be  truly  settled, 
and  that  is  when  they  get  together  and  settle  it  between 
them.  The  courts  cannot  settle  troubles  between  me  and 
my  brother.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1916,  pp.  6,  7. 

LET  Us  LIVE  OUR  RELIGION.  I  will  say  now  to  all  of 
the  Latter-day  Saints,  Let  us  live  our  religion ;  let  us  pay  our 
tithing  and  be  blessed ;  let  us  remember  the  poor  and  the 
needy,  and  sustain  and  help  them;  let  us  visit  the  sick  and 
afflicted,  and  administer  consolation  unto  them;  let  us  help 
the  weak;  let  us  do  all  in  our  power  to  build  up  Zion,  to  es- 
tablish righteousness  in  the  earth,  and  to  plant  in  the  hearts 
of  the  people  the  glorious  truth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the 
Redeemer  of  the  world,  that  Joseph  Smith  is  a  prophet  of 
the  living  God,  whom  the  Lord  raised  up  in  these  last  days 
to  restore  the  everlasting  gospel  and  the  power  of  the  holy 
priesthood  to  the  world.— Oct.  C.  R.}  1902,  p.  88. 

LET  Us  BE  TRUE  TO  THE  FAITH.  We  should  set  an  ex- 
ample ;  we  should  be  true  to  the  faith,  as  Brother  Stephens 
sings  to  us ;  true  to  the  faith !  We  should  be  true  to  our  cov- 
enants, true  to  our  God,  and  true  to  one  another,  and  to 
the  interests  of  Zion,  no  matter  what  the  consequences  may 
be,  no  matter  what  may  result.  I  can  tell  you  that  the  man 


MANY  DUTIES  OF  MAN  323 

who  is  not  true  to  Zion  and  to  the  interests  of  the  people 
will  be  the  man  who  will  be  found,  bye  and  bye,  left  out 
and  in  a  pitiable  spiritual  condition.  The  man  who  stays 
with  the  kingdom  of  God,  the  man  who  is  true  to  this  peo- 
ple, the  man  who  keeps  himself  pure  and  unspotted  from  the 
world,  is  the  man  that  God  will  accept,  that  God  will  uphold, 
that  he  will  sustain,  and  that  will  prosper  in  the  land,  whether 
he  be  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  liberty  or  be  confined  in  prison 
cells,  it  makes  no  difference  where  he  is,  he  will  come  out 
all  right.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1906,  p.  9. 

CHURCH  DUTIES  ARE  PARAMOUNT.  Our  duties  in  the 
Church  should  be,  I  think,  paramount  to  every  other  interest 
in  the  world.  It  is  true  that  we  are  under  the  necessity  of 
looking  after  our  worldly  interests.  It  is,  of  course,  neces- 
sary for  us  to  labor  with  our  hands,  and  oui  minds,  in  our 
various  occupations  for  obtaining  the  necessaries  of  life.  It 
is  essential  that  the  Latter-day  Saints  should  be  industrious 
and  persevering  in  all  the  labors  that  devolve  upon  them,  for 
it  is  written  that  "the  inhabitants  of  Zion  shall  remember 
their  labors,  inasmuch  as  they  are  appointed  to  labor,  in  all 
faithfulness ;  for  the  idler  shall  be  had  in  remembrance  be- 
fore the  Lord."  Again  it  is  written:  "Let  every  man  be 
diligent  in  all  things.  And  the  idler  shall  not  have  place  in 
the  Church,  except  he  repents  and  mends  his  ways."  Again : 
"Thou  shalt  not  be  idle ;  for  he  that  is  idle  shall  not  eat  the 
bread  nor  wear  the  garments  of  the  laborer."  But  in  all 
our  labors  in  life,  in  all  the  cares  that  beset  us,  and  the  tem- 
poral responsibilities  that  rest  upon  us,  we  should  put  upper- 
most in  our  thoughts,  and  highest  in  our  appreciation  and 
love,  the  cause  of  Zion,  which  is  indeed  the  cause  of  truth 
and  righteousness. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1907,  p.  2.  See  Doc.  and 
Cov.  42:42;  68:30;  75:29. 

WE  SHOULD  STUDY  THE  GOSPEL.  I  believe  it  is  good 
to  seek  knowledge  out  of  the  best  books,  to  learn  the  his- 
tories of  nations,  to  be  able  to  comprehend  the  purposes  of 


324  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

God  with  reference  to  the  nations  of  the  earth;  and  I  be- 
lieve that  one  of  the  most  important  things,  and  perhaps  more 
important  to  us  than  studying  the  history  of  the  world,  is 
that  we  study  and  become  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
principles  of  the  gospel,  that  they  may  be  established  in  our 
hearts  and  souls,  above  all  other  things,  to  qualify  us  to  go 
out  into  the  world  to  preach  and  teach  them.  We  may  know 
all  about  the  philosophy  of  the  ages  and  the  history  of  the 
nations  of  the  earth ;  we  may  study  the  wisdom  and  knowl- 
edge of  man  and  get  all  the  information  that  we  can  ac- 
quire in  a  lifetime  of  research  and  study,  but  all  of  it  put 
together  will  never  qualify  any  one  to  become  a  minister 
of  the  gospel  unless  he  has  the  knowledge  and  spirit  of  the 
first  principles  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. — Apr.  C.  R., 
1915,  p.  138. 

ENCOURAGE  SINGING.  It  delights  my  heart  to  see  our 
little  children  learning  to  sing,  and  to  see  the  people,  our 
people  everywhere,  improving  their  talents  as  good  singers. 
Everywhere  we  go  among  pur  people,  we  find  sweet  voices 
and  talent  for  music.  I  believe  that  this  is  a  manifestation 
to  us  of  the  purpose  of  the  Lord  in  this  direction  toward  our 
people,  that  they  will  excel  in  these  things,  as  they  should 
excel  in  every  other  good  thing. — Apr.  C.  R.,  Sunday  School, 
1904,  p.  81. 

CULTIVATE  SINGING.  I  can  remember  when  I  was  a  lit- 
tle boy,  hearing  my  father  sing.  I  do  not  know  how  much 
of  a  singer  he  was,  for  at  that  time  I  was  not  capable  of 
judging  as  to  the  quality  of  his  singing,  but  the  hymns  he 
sang  became  familiar  to  me,  even  in  the  days  of  my  child- 
hood. I  believe  that  I  can  sing  them  still,  although  I  am  not 
much  of  a  singer.  When  young  men  go  out  into  the  world 
to  preach  the  gospel,  they  will  find  it  very  beneficial  for 
them  to  know  how  to  sing  the  songs  of  Zion.  I  repeat  the 
admonition  and  request  made  by  Brother  McMurrin,  who 


MANY  DUTIES  OF  MAN  .  325 

has  recently  returned  from  a  lengthy  mission  to  Europe, 
that  the  young  men  who  are  eligible  to  preach  the  gospel, 
and  who  are  likely  to  be  called  into  the  missionary  field, 
begin  at  once  to  improve  their  talent  to  sing,  and  do  not 
think  it  is  beneath  their  dignity  to  join  the  choirs  of  the 
wards  in  which  they  live  and  learn  how  to  sing.  When  we 
listen  to  this  choir,  under  the  leadership  of  Brother  Stephens, 
we  listen  to  music,  and  music  is  truth.  Good  music  is  gra- 
cious praise  of  God.  It  is  delightsome  to  the  ear,  and  it  is 
one  of  our  most  acceptable  method's  of  worshiping  God. 
And  those  who  sing  in  this  choir  and  in  all  the  choirs  of  the 
Saints,  should  sing  with  the  spirit  and  with  the  understand- 
ing. They  should  not  sing  merely  because  it  is  a  profes- 
sion, or  because  they  have  a  good  voice;  but  they  should 
sing  also  because  they  have  the  spirit  of  it  and  can  enter 
into  the  spirit  of  prayer  and  praise  to  God  who  gave  them 
their  sweet  voices.  My  soul  is  always  lifted  up,  and  my 
spirit  cheered  and  comforted,  when  I  hear  good  music.  I 
rejoice  in  it  very  much  indeed. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1899,  pp.  68,  69. 
BE  FREE  FROM  DEBT.  One  of  these  subjects  is,  that  in 
the  time  of  prosperity,  which  we  are  now  enjoying,  it  is  high- 
ly proper  for  the  Latter-day  Saints  to  get  out  of  debt.  I 
have  unceasingly  urged  this  thought  upon  the  brethren  for 
the  past  year  or  more.  Wherever  I  have  had  the  opportu- 
nity of  speaking,  I  have  scarcely  ever  forgotten  to  hold  out 
to  the  people  the  necessity — that  I  feel,  at  least — of  our  set- 
tling our  obligations  and  freeing  ourselves  from  debt  in  the 
day  of  prosperity.  Our  experience  in  the  years  that  have 
passed  must  have  led  us  to  the  conclusion  that  we  have  pe- 
riods of  prosperity,  followed  by  period's  of  depression.  We 
have  now  had  a  long  period  of  success  and  prosperity,  and 
we  may  expect,  almost  at  any  time,  to  see  these  conditions 
change  and  a  time  of  depression  spread  over  the  land  and 
over  the  people.  I  would  say,  in  connection  with  this  sub- 
ject, that  one  of  the  best  ways  that  I  know  of  to  pay  my 


326  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

obligations  to  my  brother,  my  neighbor,  or  business  associ- 
ate, is  for  me  first  to  pay  my  obligations  to  the  Lord.  I  can 
pay  more  of  my  debts  to  my  neighbors,  if  I  have  contracted 
them,  after  I  have  met  my  honest  obligations  with  the  Lord, 
than  I  can  by  neglecting  the  latter;  and  you  can  do  the 
same.  If  you  desire  to  prosper,  and  to  be  free  men  and 
women  and  a  free  people,  first  meet  your  just  obligations 
to  God,  and  then  meet  your  obligations  to  your  fellowmen. 
Bishop  Hunter  used  to  put  the  matter  in  these  words : 
"Brethren,  pay  your  tithing  and  be  blessed,"  and  that  is  just 
what  I  mean.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1903,  p.  2. 

WHAT  THE  LORD  REQUIRES  OF  His  SAINTS.  There  is 
a  circumstance  recorded  in  the  Scriptures,  that  has  been 
brought  forcibly  to  my  mind  while  listening  to  the  remarks 
of  the  elders  who  have  spoken  to  us  during  conference.  A 
young  man  came  to  Jesus  and  asked  what  good  thing  he 
should  do  that  he  might  have  eternal  life.  Jesus  said  unto 
him,  "Keep  the  commandments."  The  young  man  asked 
which  of  them.  Then  Jesus  enumerated  to  him  some  of  the 
commandments  that  he  was  to  keep — he  should  not  murder, 
nor  commit  adultery,  nor  steal,  nor  bear  false  witness,  but 
he  should  honor  his  father  and  mother,  and  love  his  neigh- 
bor as  himself,  etc.  Said  the  young  man,  "All  these  I  have 
kept  from  my  youth  up :  what  lack  I  yet  ?''  Jesus  said,  "If 
thou  wilt  be  perfect,  go  and  sell  that  thou  hast,  and  give  to 
the  poor,  and  thou  shalt  have  treasure  in  heaven :  and  come 
and  follow  me."  And  we  are  told  that  he  turned  away  sor- 
rowful, because  he  had  great  possessions.  He  would  not 
hearken  to,  nor  obey  the  law  of  God  in  this  matter.  Not 
that  Jesus  required  of  the  young  man  to  go  and  sell  all  that 
he  possessed  and  give  it  away ;  that  is  not  the  principle  in- 
volved. The  great  principle  involved  is  that  which  the  elders 
of  Israel  are  endeavoring  to  enforce  upon  the  minds  of  the 
Latter-day  Saints  today.  When  the  young  man  turned  away 
in  sorrow,  Jesus  said  to  his  disciples,  "A  rich  man 


MANY  DUTIES  OF  MAN  327 

shall  hardly  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven."     (See  Matt. 
10:16-23.) 

Is  this  because  the  rich  man  is  rich  ?  No.  May  not  the 
rich  man,  who  has  the  light  of  God  in  his  heart,  who  pos- 
sesses the  principle  and  .spirit  of  truth,  and  who  understands 
the  principle  of  God's  government  and  law  in  the  world,  en- 
ter into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  as  easily,  and  be  as  accept- 
able there  as  the  poor  man  may?  Precisely.  God  is  not  a 
respecter  of  persons.  The  rich  man  may  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  as  freely  as  the  poor,  if  he  will  bring  his 
heart  and  affections  into  subjection  to  the  law  of  God  and 
to  the  principle  of  truth ;  if  he  will  place  his  affections  upon 
God,  his  heart  upon  the  truth,  and  his  soul  upon  the  accom- 
plishment of  God's  purposes,  and  not  fix  his  affections  and 
his  hopes  upon  the  things  of  the  world.  Here  is  the  diffi- 
culty, and  this  was  the  difficulty  with  the  young  man.  He 
had  great  possessions,  and  he  preferred  to  rely  upon  his 
wealth  rather  than  forsake  all  and  follow  Christ.  If  he  had 
possessed  the  spirit  of  truth  in  his  heart  to  have  known  the 
will  of  God,  and  to  have  loved'  the  Lord  with  all  his  heart 
and  his  neighbor  as  himself,  he  would  have  said  to  the  Lord, 
"Yea,  Lord,  I  will  do  as  you  require,  I  will  go  and  sell  all 
that  I  have,  and  give  it  to  the  poor."  If  he  had  had  it  in  his 
heart  to  do  this,  that  alone  might  have  been  sufficient,  and 
the  demand  would  probably  have  stopped  there;  for  un- 
doubtedly the  Lord  did  not  deem  it  essential  for  him  to  go 
and  give  his  riches  away,  or  to  sell  his  possessions  and  give 
the  proceeds  away,  in  order  that  he  might  be  perfect,  for  that, 
in  a  measure,  would  have  been  improvident.  Yet,  if  it  had 
required  all  this  to  test  him  and  to  prove  him,  to  see  whether 
he  loved  the  Lord  with  all  his  heart,  mind,  and  strength,  and 
his  neighbor  as  himself,  then  he  ought  to  have  been  will- 
ing to  do  it ;  and  if  he  had  been,  he  would  have  lacked  noth- 
ing, and  would  have  received  the  gift  of  eternal  life,  which  is 
the  greatest  gift  of  God,  and  which  can  be  received  on  no 


328  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

other  principle  than  the  one  mentioned  by  Jesus  to  the 
young  man.  If  you  will  read  the  sixth  lecture  on  faith, 
in  the  book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  you  will  learn  that  no 
man  can  obtain  the  gift  of  eternal  life  unless  he  is  willing 
to  sacrifice  all  earthly  things  in  order  to  obtain  it.  We  can- 
not do  this  so  long  as  our  affections  are  fixed  upon  the  world. 

It  is  true  that  we  are  in  a  measure  of  the  earth,  earthy ; 
we  belong  to  the  world.  Our  affections  and  our  souls  are 
here ;  our  treasures  are  here,  and  where  the  treasure  is  there 
the  heart  is.  But  if  we  will  lay  up  our  treasures  in  heaven; 
if  we  will  wean  our  affections  from  the  things  of  this  world, 
and  say  to  the  Lord  our  God,  "Father,  not  my  will,  but  thine 
be  done,"  then  may  the  will  of  God  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is 
done  in  heaven,  and  the  kingdom  of  God  in  its  power  and 
glory  will  be  established  upon  the  earth.  Sin  and  Satan  will 
be  bound  and  banished  from  the  earth,  and  not  until  we  at- 
tain to  this  condition  of  mind  and  faith  will  this  be-  done. 

•  Then  let  the  Saints  unite ;  let  them  hearken  to  the 
voices  of  the  servants  of  God  that  are  sounded  in  their  ears  ; 
let  them  hearken  to  their  counsels  and  give  heed  to  the 
truth ;  let  them  seek  their  own  salvation,  for,  so  far  as  I  am 
concerned,  I  am  so  selfish  that  I  am  seeking  after  my  salva- 
tion, and  I  know  that  I  can  find  it  only  in  obedience  to  the 
laws  of  God,  in  keeping  the  commandments,  in  performing 
works  of  righteousness,  following  in  the  footsteps  of  our 
file  leader,  Jesus  the  Exemplar  and  the  Head  of  all.  He  is 
the  way  of  life,  he  is  the  Light  of  the  world,  he  is  the  Door 
by  which  we  must  enter,  in  order  that  we  may  have  a  place 
with  him  in  the  celestial  kingdom  of  God. — Journal  of  Dis- 
courses, Vol.  18,  1877,  pp.  133-135;  Oct.  C.  R.,  1875. 

CULTIVATE  GRATITUDE.  We  are  almost  daily  put  under 
obligations  to  one  another,  especially  to  friends  and  acquain- 
tances, and  the  sense  of  obligation  creates  within  us  feel- 
ings of  thankfulness  and  appreciation  which  we  call  grati- 
tude. The  spirit  of  gratitude  is  always  pleasant  and  satis- 


MANY  DUTIES  OF  MAN  329 

fying  because  it  carries  with  it  a  sense  of  helpfulness  to 
others;  it  begets  love  and  friendship,  and  engenders  divine 
influence.  Gratitude  is  said  to  be  the  memory  of  the  heart. 

And  where  there  is  an  absence  of  gratitude,  either  to 
God  or  man,  there  is  the  presence  of  vanity  and  the  spirit 
of  self-sufficiency.  Speaking  of  Israel,  Paul  says :  "Be- 
cause that,  when  they  knew  God,  they  glorified  him  not  as 
God,  neither  were  thankful ;  but  became  vain  in  their  imag- 
inations, and  their  foolish  heart  was  darkened"  (Rom.  1:21). 

Thomas  Gibbons  expresses  in  verse  most  beautifully  the 
idea  of  ingratitude : 

"That  man  may  last,  but  never  lives, 
Who  much  receives,  but  nothing  gives ; 
Whom  none  can  love,  whom  none  can  thank, 
Creation's  blot,  creation's  blank." 

Naturally  people  feel  grateful  to  those  who  have 
done  them  a  kindness,  and  the  feeling  of  gratitude  is  gen- 
erally a  sufficient  compensation  for  those  who  have  done  a 
kind  and  unselfish  act.  But  when  one  does  a  favor  for  an- 
other, and  behind  that  favor  is  the  secret  and  selfish  intent 
that  the  gratitude  which  is  awakened  by  the  favor  shall  be- 
come a  debt  which  the  receiver  at  some  time  and  in  some 
way  must  repay  to  the  selfish  needs  of  the  one  who  be- 
stowed the  favor,  then  gratitude  becomes  a  debt  which  it 
is  expected  will  be  paid. 

An  act  of  apparent  kindness  can  never  result  in  good 
when  it  is  intended  to  put  any  man  under  obligations  that 
deprive  him  of  his  freedom  to  act.  That  is  the  characteristic 
of  a  politician.  It  is  buying  up  one's  freedom,  and  such  a 
bargain  is  worse  upon  the  man  who  seeks  to  make  it  than 
Shylock's  contract  for  a  pound  of  flesh. 

When  we  win  the  'friendship  of  others,  because  that 
friendship  is  helpful  and  encouraging  to  us,  and  because  we 
need  it  for  our  happiness  in  life,  gratitude  of  others  toward 


330  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

us  has  a  beautiful  and  lasting  charm.  That  is  the  gratitude 
which  Saints  enjoy. 

It  is  always  safer  and  better  to  enjoy  the  gratitude 
which  we  feel  to  others  than  to  set  store  upon  the  gratitude 
which  we  think  others  should  have  toward  us.  The  grate- 
ful man  sees  so  much  in  the  world  to  be  thankful  for,  and 
with  him  the  good  outweighs  the  evil.  Love  overpowers 
jealousy,  and  light  drives  darkness  out  of  his  life.  Pride 
destroys  our  gratitude  and  sets  up  selfishness  in  its  place. 
How  much  happier  we  are  in  the  presence  of  a  grateful  and 
loving  soul,  and  how  careful  we  should  be  to  cultivate, 
through  the  medium  of  a  prayerful  life,  a  thankful  attitude 
toward  God  and  man ! — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  38,  April, 
1903,  pp.  242,  243. 

BACKIUTIXG.  In  a  letter  recently  received  by  me,  the 
following  request  and  question  were  submitted  for  my 
opinion :  "I  would  like  you  to  define  backbiting.  There  seems 
to  be  a  difference  of  opinion  respecting  the  meaning  of  the 
term.  Some  claim  that  so  long  as  you  speak  the  truth 
about  a  person,  it  is  not  backbiting,  no  matter  what  you  say 
or  how  you  say  it.  Would  it  not  be  better  if  we  knew  a 
person  had  faults,  to  go  to  him  privately  and  labor  with  him, 
than  to  go  to  others  and  speak  of  his  faults  ?" 

Nothing  could  be  farther  from  the  spirit  and  genius  of 
the  gospel  than  to  suppose  that  we  are  always  justified  in 
speaking  the  truth  about  a  person,  however  harmful  the 
truth  to  him  may  be.  The  gospel  teaches  us  the  funda- 
mental principle  of  repentance,  and  we  have  no  right  to  dis- 
credit a  man  in  the  estimation  of  his  fellow^men  when  he  has 
truly  repented  and  God  has  forgiven  him.  We  are  con- 
stantly beset  by  temptation,  and  often  say  and  do  things 
of  which  we  immediately  repent,  and  no  doubt,  if  our  re- 
pentance is  genuine,  it  is  always  acceptable  to  our  heavenly 
Father.  After  he  has  accepted  the  contrition  of  the  human 
heart  and  forgiven  men  their  trespasses,  it  is  dangerous  for 


MANY  DUTIES  OF  MAN  331 

us  to  hold  up  their  evil  deeds  for  the  contempt  of  the  world. 

As  a  rule,  it  is  not  necessary  to  be  constantly  offering 
advice  to  those  who  in  our  judgment  are  possessed  of  some 
fault.  In  the  first  place,  our  judgments  may  be  in  error; 
and  in  the  second  place,  we  may  be  dealing  with  a  man  who 
is  strongly  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  repentance,  and  who, 
conscious  of  his  weakness,  is  constantly  struggling  to  over- 
come it.  The  utmost  care,  therefore,  should  be  observed 
in  all  our  language  that  implies  a  reproach  of  others.  As 
a  general  rule,  backbiting  is  better  determined  by  the  spirit 
and  purpose  that  actuate  us  in  speaking  of  things  we  consider 
faults  in  others  than  in  the  words  themselves.  A  man  or 
woman  who  possesses  the  Spirit  of  God  will  soon  detect  in 
his  or  her  own  feelings  the  spirit  of  backbiting,  as  that  spirit 
is  present  in  the  remarks  that  are  made  concerning  others. 
The  question  of  backbiting,  therefore,  is  probably  best  deter- 
mined by  the  ancient  rule,  "That  the  letter  killeth  and  the 
spirit  giveth  life." — Juvenile  Instructor,  October  15,  1904, 
Vol.  39,  p.  625. 

Do  NOT  INFLICT  WOUNDS,  BUT  HEAL  WOUNDS.  Al- 
most anyone  can  inflict  a  wound.  It  may  be  made  by  a 
word,  a  slight,  or  by  general  conduct.  But  the  healing  of  a 
wound  is  an  art  not  acquired  by  practice  alone,  but  by  the 
loving  tenderness  that  comes  from  universal  good  will  and 
a  sympathetic  interest  in  the  welfare  and  happiness  of  oth- 
ers. If  people  were  always  as  ready  to  administer  kindness 
as  they  are  indifferent  to  the  pain  of  others — if  they  were 
as  patient  to  heal  as  they  are  quick  to  wound — many  an 
unkind  word  would  never  be  spoken,  many  a  slight  would 
be  avoided.  The  art  of  healing  is  really  one  of  the  highest 
qualities  and  attributes  of  man;  it  is  a  characteristic  of  a 
great  and  noble  soul;  the  sure  indication  of  generous  im- 
pulse. 

In  the  discipline  of  the  home,  of  the  school,  and  social 
life,  the  infliction  of  wounds  may  be  unavoidable,  if  they  be 


332  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

not  an  actual  necessity ;  but  wounds  should  never  be  left 
open  to  fester — they  should  be  bound  up  and  cared  for  until 
they  are  healed.  Perhaps  the  most  perfect  ideal  in  the  art 
of  healing  is  the  mother  whose  tender  and  gracious  love 
asserts  itself  in  taking  away  the  sting  of  a  deserved  or  un- 
deserved punishment.  How  her  love  heals  every  wound! 
How  quick  her  caresses  bind  up  and  soothe!  The  example 
of  her  life  is  the  wisdom  which  love  teaches.  In  the  school, 
children  may  suffer  humiliation  into  which  their  wayward 
or  careless  conduct  has  brought  them,  and  their  punish- 
ment may  be  just ;  but  their  wounds  the  teacher  should  never 
leave  unhealed.  Nature  wounds  us  when  we  violate  her 
laws ;  but  nature  has  her  antiseptic  methods  of  treating  and 
healing  every  wound.  The  wise  teacher  has  his  also. 

The  cultivation  of  kindly  thoughts  and  sentiments  to- 
wards others  is  always  helpful  in  the  art  of  healing.  It  is 
sometimes  helpful  to  lift  ourselves  out  of  our  own  shells  in 
which,  by  our  surroundings  and  habits  of  thought,  we  are 
incrusted,  and  place  ourselves  in  the  positions  which  others 
occupy  in  life.  Constant  consideration  for  the  welfare  and 
happiness  of  others  is  every  day  imposed  upon  us  by  the 
divine  injunction,  "Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 

The  test,  then,  of  our  soul's  greatness  is  rather  to  be 
sought  in  our  ability  to  comfort  and  console,  our  ability  to 
help  others,  rather  than  in  our  ability  to  help  ourselves  and 
crowd  others  down  in  the  struggle  of  life.  If  the  reader 
will  stop  a  moment  to  reflect  upon  the  healing  qualities  of 
Christ's  life,  he  will  understand  that  Christ  was  a  Master  in 
the  art  of  healing,  not  alone  of  the  wounds  he  made,  but 
of  self-inflicted  wounds  and  the  wounds  that  others  made. 
What  a  comfort  his  life  is  to  those  in  sorrow !  How  in- 
stinctively our  thoughts  turn  to  him !  How  prone  we  are  to 
go  to  him  for  consolation !  He  is  truly  the  great  Healer  of  the 
afflictions  of  others. — Juvenile  Instructor,  March,  1903,  Vol. 
38,  pp.  178,  179. 


MANY  DUTIES  OF  MAN  333 

USE  GOOD  LANGUAGE.  Language,  like  thought,  makes 
its  impression  and  is  recalled  by  the  memory  in  a  way  that 
may  be  unpleasant  if  not  harmful  to  those  who  have  been 
compelled  to  listen  to  unseemly  words.  Thoughts  that  in 
themselves  are  not  improper  may  be  exalted  or  debased  by 
the  language  used  to  express  them.  If  inelegant  expres- 
sions should  be  eschewed,  what  shall  be  said  of  profanity? 
—Juvenile  Instructor,  May  1,  1906,  Vol.  41,  p.  272. 

Do  NOT  DESTROY  LIFE  WANTONLY.  I  have  just  a  few 
words  to  say  in  addition  to  those  that  have  already  been  said, 
in  relation  to  shedding  blood  and  to  the  destruction  of  life. 
I  think  that  every  soul  should  be  impressed  by  the  senti- 
ments that  have  been  expressed  here  this  evening  by  all  who 
have  spoken,  and  not  less  with  reference  to  the  killing  of  our 
innocent  birds,  natives  of  our  country,  who  live  upon  the  ver- 
min that  are  indeed  enemies  to  the  farmer  and  to  mankind. 
It  is  not  only  wicked  to  destroy  them,  it  is  abominable,  in 
my  opinion.  I  think  that  this  principle  should  extend,  not 
only  to  the  bird  life,  but  to  the  life  of  all  animals.  When  I 
visited,  a  few  years  ago,  the  Yellowstone  National  Park,  and 
saw  in  the  streams  and  the  beautiful  lakes,  birds  swimming 
quite  fearless  of  man,  allowing  passers-by  to  approach  them 
as  closely  almost  as  tame  birds,  and  apprehending  no  fear 
of  them,  and  when  I  saw  droves  of  beautiful  deer  herding 
along  the  side  of  the  road,  as  fearless  of  the  presence  of  men 
as  any  domestic  animal,  it  filled  my  heart  with  a  degree  of 
peace  and  joy  that  seemed  to  be  almost  a  foretaste  of  that 
period  hoped  for  when  there  shall  be  none  to  hurt  and  none 
to  molest  in  all  the  land,  especially  among  all  the  inhabitants 
of  Zion.  These  same  birds,  if  they  were  to  visit  other  re- 
gions, inhabited  by  man,  would,  on  account  of  their  tame- 
ness,  doubtless  become  more,  easily  a  prey  to  the  gunner. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  those  beautiful  creatures — the  deer 
and  antelope.  If  they  should  wander  out  of  the  park,  be- 
yond the  protection  that  is  established  there  for  these  ani- 


334  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

mals,  they  would  become,  of  course,  an  easy  prey  to  those 
who  were  seeking  their  lives.  I  never  could  see  why  a  man 
should  be  imbued  with  a  blood-thirsty  desire  to  kill  and  de- 
stroy animal  life.  I  have  known  men — and  they  still  exist 
among  us — who  enjoy  what  is,  to  them,  the  "sport"  of  hunt- 
ing bird's  and  slaying  them  by  the  hundreds,  and  who  will 
come  in  after  a  day's  sport,  boasting  of  how  many  harmless 
birds  they  have  had  the  skill  to  slaughter,  and  day  after  day, 
during  the  season  when  it  is  lawful  for  men  to  hunt  and  kill 
(the  birds  having  had  a  season  of  protection  and  not  appre- 
hending danger)  go  out  by  scores  or  hundreds,  and  you  may 
hear  their  guns  early  in  the  morning  on  the  day  of  the  open- 
ing, as  if  great  armies  had  met  in  battle;  and  the  terrible 
work  of  slaughtering  the  innocent  birds  goes  on. 

I  do  not  believe  any  man  should  kill  animals  or  birds 
unless  he  needs  them  for  food,  and  then  he  should  not  kill 
innocent  little  birds  that  are  not  intended  for  food  for  man. 
I  think  it  is  wicked  for  men  to  thirst  in  their  souls  to  kill 
almost  everything  which  possesses  animal  life.  It  is  wrong, 
and  I  have  been  surprised  at  prominent  men  whom  I  have 
seen  whose  very  souls  seemed  to  be  athirst  for  the  shedding 
of  animal  blood.  They  go  off  hunting  deer,  antelope,  elk, 
anything  they  can  find,  and  what  for?  "Just  for  the  fun  of 
it !"  Not  that  they  are  hungry  and  need  the  flesh  of  their 
prey,  but  just  because  they  love  to  shoot  and  to  destroy  life. 
I  am  a  firm  believer,  with  reference  to  these  things,  in  the 
simple  words  of  one  of  the  poets : 

'Take  not  away  the  life  you  cannot  give, 
For  all  things  have  an  equal  right  to  live." 
—Juvenile  Instructor,  April,  1913,  Vol.  48,  pp.  308-309. 

COMMENCEMENT  ADDRESS.  The  point  which  seems  the 
most  perspicuous,  and  which  will  appear  with  greatest  force 
to  your  minds,  no  doubt,  on  this  occasion,  is  that  it  should 
have  a  speedy  ending.  Not  so,  however,  with  the  efforts  of 
those  students  who  graduate  with  honors  from  this  college, 


MANY  DUTIES  OF  MAN  335 

today.  Before  them  lies  a  strange,  meandering,  endless  path, 
by  them  as  yet  untrodden,  however  well  beaten  by  the  weary 
feet  of  pilgrims  who  have  passed  over  to  the  great  beyond. 
This  path  is  fraught  with  all  there  is  in  life,  of  good  or  ill 
to  them.  They  are  entering  upon  the  great  problem  of  life, 
and  each  will  be  compelled  to  solve  that  problem  for  himself. 
The  problem  of  death — which  is  spiritual  midnight — the  un- 
enlightened soul — will  solve  itself.  As  the  stream  flows  nat- 
urally down  the  slope  to  the  dead  waters  of  our  inland'  sea, 
so  is  the  common  trend  of  the  natural  man  down  to  the 
dark  valley  of  the  shadows  of  death.  He  needs  to  make  no 
effort  to  reach  this  goal;  by  lazily  floating  on  the  tide  of 
common  events,  he  will  reach  it  all  too  soon.  But,  to  the 
fountain  of  life,  to  the  summit  of  existence,  to  the  fulness 
of  moral,  religious  and  intellectual  manhood,  the  finger  board 
of  truth  points  eternally  up  the  stream.  To  reach  this  glo- 
rious fountain,  to  scale  this  magnificent  height,  one  must 
work;  he  must  stem  the  current,  must  climb  the  hill — must 
climb  and  work  and  persevere.  Thus  he  will  succeed'. 

It  is  a  very  important  thing  to  make  a  commencement 
in  life.  It  is  no  less  important  to  make  that  commencement 
upon  a  sound  and  proper  footing.  A  man  going  to  the  sum- 
mit of  Twin  Peaks,  which  tower  towards  the  heavens  on  the 
southeast  of  us,  will  have  a  long,  weary  journey  before  he 
reaches  his  destination.  Although  not  far  away  at  first,  if  he 
starts  off  toward  the  northwest,  the  longer  he  continues 
in  that  direction  the  further  he  goes  from  his  objective  point. 
True,  he  may  circumscribe  the  earth  and,  if  he  keep  the 
proper  bearings,  will  come  back  to  the  point  at  last.  But 
eternity  is  a  wondrous  globe  to  circumnavigate,  and  we  will 
find  it  to  our  advantage  not  to  undertake  the  feat  when  we 
can  so  easily  avoid  it  by  commencing  as  we  should.  Error 
is  a  worthless  and  an  injurious  thing.  To  avoid  it  should 
always  be  our  careful  study.  Mistakes,  if  they  are  indeed 
mistakes,  are  never  fortunate,  and  may  be  extremely  painful 


336  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

and  hard  to  rectify.  But  the  sooner  rectified  the  better.  It 
is  braver  and  more  honorable  to  promptly  disavow  and  fly 
from  error,  no  matter  what  the  present  seeming  cost,  or  to 
frankly  acknowledge  a  mistake,  and  apologize  for  it,  and 
thus  get  rid  of  it,  than  to  crouch  beneath  the  burden,  which 
is  moral  cowardice. 

The  students  now  graduating  from  this  school  in  the 
branches  of  education  which  they  have  taken,  are  ready  to 
commence  the  application  of  the  knowledge  they  have  ac- 
quired to  the  practical  duties  of  life.  You  may  apply  this 
knowledge  to  the  development  of  the  natural  resources  and 
prosperity  of  our  country,  or  to  the  betterment  of  the  social 
problems  of  the  times  in  which  you  live,  or  you  may  apply  it 
to  the  further  intellectual  development  of  yourselves  and 
others.  That  which  you  have  gained  by  study  and  the  as- 
sistance of  your  teachers  should  be  wisely  used  by  you  as  an 
aid  to  the  attainment  of  other  and  greater  knowledge. 

Whatever  may  be  your  course  in  the  future,  or  your 
choice  of  occupation,  always  remember  the  grand  scriptural 
injunction:  "Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with 
thy  might ;  for  there  is  no  work,  nor  device,  nor  knowledge, 
nor  wisdom,  in  the  grave,  whither  thou  goest."  (Ec.  9:10.) 
This  scripture  applies  directly  to  the  temporal  life  and  death, 
and  only  to  them.  Whatever  is  worth  doing  at  all,  should  be 
well  and  faithfully  and  thoroughly  done.  The  failures  occur- 
ring in  the  legitimate  pursuits  of  life,  resulting  solely  from 
the  unprofitableness  thereof,  are  few  and  far  between.  The 
vast  majority  of  failures  are  the  results  of  neglect,  or  of 
want  of  careful  attention,  or  of  ignorance,  or  of  dishonesty 
on  the  part  of  the  applicants,  and  not  of  the  business  itself. 

Carefully  select  your  occupation  with  a  view  to  your 
qualifications  or  adaptability  therefor;  let  it  be  worthy  of 
the  noblest  ambition  and  purest  desire,  and  then  engage  in 
it  in  earnest,  put  your  heart  into  it,  and  your  mind  upon  it, 
with  due  consideration  to  other  essential  things,  until  you 


MANY  DUTIES  OF  MAN  337 

succeed.  All  extremes  should  be  avoided.  To  fix  the  heart 
and  mind  upon  a  single  object,  however  good,  and  close  the 
eyes  to  all  else  in  life,  may  make  an  expert,  a  bigot,  or  a  crank, 
but  never  a  wise  and  broad-minded  man.  It  is  foolish  to  be- 
come too  much  absorbed  in  material  things.  Labor  and  re- 
laxation should  go  hand  in  hand,  and  pure  and  undefiled 
religion  will  lighten  every  burden  you  have,  to  bear,  and  help 
to  sweeten  the  bitter  draught  of  many  a  sorrowing  soul.  The 
proper  admixture  of  labor  and  leisure  will  not  only  promote 
the  highest  mental  capabilities,  but  also  the  most  perfect 
physical  conditions. 

Man  is  a  dual  being.  He  is  spiritual  and  he  is  phys- 
ical. The  latter  is  dependent  upon  the  former  for  intelli- 
gence and  life.  The  body  without  the  spirit  is  dead,  but  the 
spirit  is  an  immortal  and  an  independent  principle  and  be- 
ing. It  is  the  more  important  part,  yet  man  bestows  more 
thought  and  labor  upon  the  body,  as  a  rule,  than  upon  the 
better  part.  Neither  should  be  neglected,  least  of  all,  the 
spiritual.  This  is  truth,  and  it  is  the  truth  that  makes  man 
free.  By  it  they  stand,  without  it  they  fall. 

The  Great  Teacher  of  the  world  has  said,  "If  ye  con- 
tinue in  my  word,  then  are  ye  my  disciples  indeed;  and  ye 
shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free." 
(John  8:31-2.)  Again :  "And  truth  is  knowledge  of  things  as 
they  are,  and  as  they  were,  and  as  they  are  to  come."  (Doc. 
and  Cov.  93:24.) 

This  knowledge  of  truth,  combined  with  proper  regard 
for  it,  and  its  faithful  observance,  constitutes  true  education. 
The  mere  stuffing  of  the  mind  with  a  knowledge  of  facts  is 
not  education.  The  mind  must  not  only  possess  a  knowl- 
edge of  truth,  but  the  soul  must  revere  it,  cherish  it,  love 
it  as  a  priceless  gem ;  and  this  human  life  must  be  guided 
and  shaped  by  it  in  order  to  fulfil  its  destiny.  The  mind 
should  not  only  be  charged  with  intelligence,  but  the  soul 
should  be  filled  with  admiration  and  desire  for  pure  intelli- 

23 


338  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

gence  which  comes  of  a  knowledge  of  the  truth.  The  truth 
can  only  make  him  free  who  hath  it,  and  will  continue  in  it. 
And  the  word  of  God  is  truth,  and  it  will  endure  forever. 

Educate  yourself  not  only  for  time,  but  also  for  eternity. 
The  latter  of  the  two  is  the  more  important.  Therefore, 
when  we  shall  have  completed  the  studies  of  time,  and  enter 
upon  the  commencement  ceremonies  of  the  great  hereafter, 
we  will  find  our  work  is  not  finished,  but  just  begun,  we  may 
then  say  with  the  poet: 

"Lay  this  aside — say  not  your  work  is  done, 
No  need  of  love  or  goodness  ever  dies, 
But  in  the  lives  of  others  multiplies, 
Say  it  has  just  begun." 

In  conclusion  permit  me  to  repeat  a  portion  of  the  first 
psalm ;  "Blessed  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the  counsel 
of  the  ungodly,  nor  standeth  in  the  way  of  sinners,  nor  sit- 
teth  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful.  But  his  delight  is  in  the 
law  of  the  Lord;  and  in  his  law  doth  he  meditate  day  and 
night.  And  he  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted  by  the  rivers  of 
water,  that  bringeth  forth  his  fruit  in  his  season;  his  leaf 
also  shall  not  wither;  and  whatsoever  he  doeth  shall  pros- 
per. The  ungodly  are  not  so :  but  are  like  the  chaff  which 
the  wind  driveth  away." — Contributor,  Vol.  16,  pp.  569- 
671.  Delivered  at  the  commencement  exercises  of  the  Lat- 
ter-day Saints  College,  Salt  Lake  City,  June  5,  1895. 

OUR  MAIN  PURPOSE  OF  LIFE.  The  important  consid- 
eration is  not  how  long  we  can  live  but  how  well  we  can 
learn  the  lessons  of  life,  and  discharge  our  duties  and  obli- 
gations to  God  and  to  each  other.  One  of  the  main  pur- 
poses of  our  existence  is  that  we  might  conform  to  the  im- 
age and  likeness  of  him  who  sojourned  in  the  flesh  without 
blemish — immaculate,  pure,  and  spotless !  Christ  came  not 
only  to  atone  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  but  to  set  an  exam- 
ple before  all  men  and  to  establish  the  standard  of  God's 


MANY  DUTIES  OF  MAN  339 

perfection,  of  God's  law,  and  of  obedience  to  the  Father. — 
Improvement  Era,  Vol.  21,  p.  104,  December,  1917. 

How  TO  LOVE  YOUR  NEIGHBOR.  Love  your  neighbor 
as  yourself?  How  are  you  to  do  it?  If  your  neighbor  is  in 
danger,  protect  him  to  the  utmost  of  your  power.  If  you 
see  your  neighbor's  property  in  danger  of  injury,  protect 
his  property  as  you  would  your  own,  as  far  as  it  lies  in  your 
power.  If  your  neighbor's  boy  or  girl  is  going  astray,  go 
directly  to  your  neighbor,  in  the  spirit  of  love,  and  help  him 
to  reclaim  his  child.  How  are  we  to  love  our  neighbor  as 
we  love  ourselves?  It  is  the  simplest  thing  in  the  world; 
but  too  many  people  are  selfish  and  narrow  and  not  given 
to  that  breadth  of  feeling  which  reaches  out  and  considers 
the  benefit  and  welfare  of  their  neighbors ;  and  they  narrow 
themselves  down  to  their  own  peculiar  and  particular  benefit 
and  blessing  and  well  being,  and  feel  to  say :  "O,  let  my 
neighbor  take  care  of  himself."  That  is  not  the  spirit  that 
should  characterize  a  Latter-day  Saint. — Improvement  Era, 
Vol.  21,  pp.  103,  104,  December,  1917. 

QUESTION  OF  CHURCH  LEADERS.  We  have  come  to  ask 
you  if  you  are  in  strict  accord  with  the  two  great  com- 
mandments: 'Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all 
thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind,  * 
*  *  and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." — Improvement  Era,  Vol. 
21,  p.  98,  December,  1917;  Matt.  22:34-40. 

THE  SIN  OF  INGRATITUDE.  And  I  believe  that  one  of 
the  greatest  sins  of  which  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  are 
guilty  today  is  the  sin  of  ingratitude,  the  want  of  acknowl- 
edgment, on  their  part,  of  God  and  his  right  to  govern  and 
control.  We  see  a  man  raised  up  with  extraordinary  gifts, 
or  with  great  intelligence,  and  he  is  instrumental  in  devel- 
oping some  great  principle.  He  and  the  world'  ascribe  his 
great  genius  and  wisdom  to  himself.  He  attributes  his  suc- 
cess to  his  own  energies,  labor  and  mental  capacity.  He 
does  not  acknowledge  the  hand  of  God  in  anything  con- 


340  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

nected  with  his  success,  but  ignores  him  altogether  and 
takes  the  honor  to  himself;  this  will  apply  to  almost  all  the 
world.  In  all  the  great  modern  discoveries  in  science,  in  the 
arts,  in  mechanics,  and  in  all  the  material  advancement  of 
the  age,  the  world  say,  "We  have  done  it."  The  individual 
says,  "I  have  done  it,"  and  he  gives  no  honor  or  credit  to 
God.  Now,  I  read  in  the  revelations  through  Joseph  Smith, 
the  prophet,  that  because  of  this,  God  is  not  pleased  with  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth,  but  is  angry  with  them  because 
they  will  not  acknowledge  his'  hand  in  all  things. — Deseret 
Weekly  Nezvs,  1884,  Vol.  33,  p.  130;  Doc.  and  Cov.  59:21. 


CHAPTER    XVI 
Marriage,  the  Home  and  the  Family 

NECESSITY  OF  MARRIAGE.  The  house  of  the  Lord  is  a 
house  of  order  and  not  a  house  of  confusion ;  and  that  means 
that  the  man  is  not  without  the  woman  in  the  Lord,  neither 
is  the  woman  without  the  man  in  the  Lord ;  and  that  no  man 
can  be  saved  and  exalted  in  the  kingdom  of  God  without 
the  woman,  and  no  woman  can  reach  the  perfection  and  ex- 
altation in  the  kingdom  of  God  alone.  That  is  what  it 
n-.eans.  God  instituted  marriage  in  the  beginning.  He 
made  man  in  his  own  image  and  likeness,  male  and  female, 
and  in  their  creation  it  was  designed  that  they  should  be 
united  together  in  sacred  bonds  of  marriage,  and  one  is  not 
perfect  without  the  other.  Furthermore,  it  means  that  there 
is  no  union  for  time  and  eternity  that  can  be  perfected 
outside  of  the  law  of  God  and  the  order  of  his  house.  Men 
may  desire  it,  they  may  go  through  the  form  of  it  in  this  life, 
but  it  will  be  of  no  effect  except  it  be  done  and  sanctioned 
by  divine  authority,  in  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the 
Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1913,  pp.  118-  119. 

'  MARRIAGE,  GOD-ORDAINED  AND  SANCTIONED.  "And 
again,  I  say  unto  you,  that  whoso  forbiddeth  to  marry  is  not 
ordained  of  God,  for  marriage  is  ordained  of  God  unto 
man"  (Doc.  and  Cov.  49:15). 

I  desire  to  emphasize  this.  I  want  the  young  men  of 
Zion  to  realize  that  this  institution  of  marriage  is  not  a  man- 
made  institution.  It  is  of  God.  It  is  honorable,  and  no  man 
who  is  of  marriageable  age  is  living  his  religion  who  remains 
single.  It  is  not  simply  devised  for  the  convenience  alone 
of  man,  to  suit  his  own  notions,  and  his  own  ideas ;  to  mar- 
ry and  then  divorce,  to  adopt  and  then  to  discard,  just  as  he 
pleases.  There  are  great  consequences  connected  with  it, 
consequences  which  reach  beyond  this  present  time,  'rjto  "11 


342  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

eternity,  for  thereby  souls  are  begotten  into  the  world,  and 
men  and  women  obtain  their  being  in  the  world.  Marriage 
is  the  preserver  of  the  human  race.  Without  it,  the  pur- 
poses of  God  would  be  frustrated ;  virtue  would  be  destroyed 
to  give  place  to  vice  and  corruption,  and  the  earth  would  be 
void  and  empty. 

Neither  are  the  relationships  that  exist,  or  should  ex- 
ist, between  parents  and  children,  and  betwreen  children  and 
parents,  of  an  ephemeral  nature,  nor  of  a  temporal  character. 
They  are  of  eternal  consequence,  reaching  beyond  the  veil, 
in  spite  of  all  that  we  can  do.  The  man,  and  the  woman 
who  are  the  agents,  in  the  providence  of  God,  to  bring  liv- 
ing souls  into  the  world,  are  made  before  God  and  the  heav- 
ens, as  responsible  for  these  acts  as  is  God  himself  responsi- 
ble for  the  works  of  his  own  hands,  and  for  the  revelations 
of  his  own  wisdom.  The  man  and  the  woman  who  engage  in 
this  ordinance  of  matrimony  are  engaging  in  something  that 
is  of  such  far-reaching  character,  and  is  of  such  vast  im- 
portance, that  thereby  hangs  life  and  death,  and  eternal 
increase.  Thereupon  depends  eternal  happiness,  or  eternal 
misery.  For  this  reason,  God  has  guarded  this  sacred  insti- 
tution by  the  most  severe  penalties,  and  has  declared  that 
whosoever  is  untrue  to  the  marriage  relation,  whosoever  is 
guilty  of  adultery,  shall  be  put  to  death.  This  is  scriptural 
law,  though  it  is  not  practiced  today,  because  modern  civili- 
zation does  -not  recognize  the  laws  of  God  in  relation  to  the 
moral  status  of  mankind.  The  Lord  commanded,  "Whoso- 
ever sheddeth  innocent  blood,  by  man  shall  his  blood  be 
shed."  Thereby  God  has  given  the  law.  Life  is  an  im- 
portant thing.  No  man  has  any  right  to  take  life,  unless 
God  commanded  it.  The  law  of  God  as  to  violation  of  the 
marriage  covenant  is  just  as  strict,  and  is  on  a  parallel  with 
the  law  against  murder,  notwithstanding  the  former  is  not 
carried  out.  *  *  * 

Now,  every  young  person  throughout  the  Church  should 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HUME  AND  FAMILY    343 

understand  this  very  thoroughly.  The  Church  authorities 
and  the  teachers  of  our  associations  should  inculcate  the  sa- 
credness,  and  teach  the  duty  of  marriage,  as  it  has  been  re- 
vealed in  the  latter  days  to  us.  There  should  be  a  reform 
in  the  Church  in  this  regard,  and  a  sentiment  created  in 
favor  of  honorable  marriage,  and  that  would  prevent  any 
young  man,  or  any  young  woman,  who  is  a  member  of  the 
Church,  from  marrying  except  by  that  authority  which  is 
sanctioned  of  God.  And  no  man  holding  the  priesthood  who 
is  worthy  and  of  age  should  remain  unmarried.  They  should 
also  teach  that  the  law  of  chastity  is  one  of  most  vital  im- 
portance, both  to  children,  and  to  men  and  to  women.  It  is  a 
vitally  important  principle  to  the  children  of  God  in  all  their 
lives,  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave.  God  has  fixed  dreadful 
penalties  against  the  transgression  of  his  law  of  chastity,  of 
virtue,  of  purity.  When  the  law  of  God  shall  be  in  force 
among  men,  they  will  be  cut  off  who  are  not  absolutely  pure 
and  unsoiled  and  spotless — both  men  and  women.  We  ex- 
pect the  women  to  be  pure,  we  expect  them  to  be  spotless 
and  without  a  blemish,  and  it  is  as  necessary  and  important 
for  man  to  be  pure  and  virtuous  as  for  woman ;  indeed,  no 
woman  would  ever  be  other  than  pure  if  men  were  so.  The 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  law  of  love,  and  love  of  God 
with  the  whole  heart  and  mind  is  the  greatest  commandment, 
and  the  next  is  like  unto  it:  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself. 
This  also  should  be  remembered  in  the  marriage  relation, 
for,  while  it  is  said  that  the  desires  of  the  woman  shall  be 
to  her  husband,  and  he  shall  rule  over  her,  it  is  intended  that 
that  rule  shall  be  in  love  and  not  in  tyranny.  God  never 
rules  tyrannically,  except  when  men  so  corrupt  themselves 
that  they  are  unfit  to  live.  Then,  and  under  such  conditions, 
it  is  the  story  of  all  his  dealings  with  mankind,  that  he  sends 
judgments  upon  them  and  wipes  them  out  and  destroys 
them. — Improvement  Era,  July,  1902,  pp.  713-17. 

RIGHTEOUSNESS  AND  NECESSITY  OF  MARRIAGE.     Many 


344  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

people  imagine  that  there  is  something  sinful  in  marriage; 
there  is  an  apostate  tradition  to  that  effect.  This  is  a  false 
and  very  harmful  idea.  On  the  contrary,  God  not  only  com- 
mends but  he  commands  marriage.  While  man  was  yet  im- 
mortal, before  sin  had  entered  the  world,  our  heavenly 
Father  himself  performed  the  first  marriage.  He  united  our 
first  parents  in  the  bonds  of  holy  matrimony,  and  commanded 
them  to  be  fruitful  and  multiply  and  replenish  the  earth. 
This  command  he  has  never  changed,  abrogated  or  annulled ; 
but  it  has  continued  in  force  throughout  all  the  generations 
of  mankind. 

Without  marriage  the  purposes  of  God  would  be  frus- 
trated so  far  as  this  world  is  concerned,  for  there  would  be 
none  to  obey  his  other  commands. 

There  appears  to  be  a  something  beyond  and  above  the 
reasons  apparent  to  the  human  mind  why  chastity  brings 
strength  and  power  to  the  peoples  of  the  earth,  but  it  is  so. 

Today  a  flood  of  iniquity  is  overwhelming  the  civ- 
ilized world.  One  great  reason  therefor  is  the  neglect  of 
marriage;  it  has  lost  its  sanctity  in  the  eyes  of  the  great 
majority.  It  is  at  best  a  civil  contract,  but  more  often  an 
accident  or  a  whim,  or  a  means  of  gratifying  the  passions. 
And  when  the  sacredness  of  the  covenant  is  ignored  or  lost 
sight  of,  then  a  disregard  of  the  marriage  vows,  under  the 
present  moral  training  of  the  masses,  is  a  mere  triviality,  a 
trifling  indiscretion. 

The  neglect  of  marriage,  this  tendency  to  postpone  its 
responsibilities  until  middle  life,  that  so  perniciously  affects 
Christendom,  is  being  felt  in  the  midst  of  the  Saints. 

Certainly  we  are  not  in  favor  of  the  very  early  mar- 
riages that  prevailed  a  few  centuries  ago. 

But  what  we  wish  to  impress  upon  the  Saints  is  that 
the  legitimate  union  of  the  sexes  is  a  law  of  God,  that  to 
be  blessed  of  him,  we  must  honor  that  law ;  that  if  we  do  not 
do  so  the  mere  fact  that  we  are  called  by  his  name  will  not 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    345 

save  us  from  the  evils  that  neglect  of  this  law  entails,  that 
indeed  we  are  only  his  people  when  we  observe  his  laws ;  that 
when  we  do  not  do  so  we  may  expect  the  same  unfortunate 
rsults  to  come  upon  us  as  flow  to  the  rest  of  humanity  from 
the  same  causes. 

We  believe  that  every  man  holding  the  holy  priesthood 
should  be  married,  with  the  very  few  exceptions  of  those 
who  through  infirmities  of  mind  or  body  are  not  fit  for  mar- 
riage. Every  man  is  a  worse  man  in  proportion  as  he  is  un- 
fit for  the  married  state.  We  hold  that  no  man  who  is  mar- 
riageable is  fully  living  his  religion  who  remains  unmarried. 
He  is  doing  a  wrong  to  himself  by  retarding  his  progress, 
by  narrowing  his  experiences,  and  to  society  by  the  unde- 
sirable example  that  he  sets  to  others,  as  well  as  he,  him- 
self, being  a  dangerous  factor  in  the  community. 

We  say  to  our  young  people,  get  married,  and  marry 
aright.  Marry  in  the  faith,  and  let  the  ceremony  be  per- 
formed in  the  place  God  has  appointed.  Live  so  that  you 
may  be  worthy  of  this  blessing.  If,  however,  obstacles,  not 
at  present  removable,  prevent  this  most  perfect  form  of 
marriage,  have  your  bishop  perform  the  ceremony,  and  then, 
at  the  earliest  possible  moment,  go  to  the  temple.  But  do 
not  marry  those  out  of  the  Church,  as  such  unions  almost 
invariably  lead  to  unhappiness  and  quarrels  and  often 
finally  to  separation.  Besides,  they  are  not  pleasing  in  the 
sight  of  heaven.  The  believer  and  unbeliever  should  not  be 
yoked  together,  for  sooner  or  later,  in  time  or  in  eternity, 
they  must  be  divided  again. 

And  now  we  desire  with  holy  zeal  to  emphasize  the 
enormity  of  sexual  sins.  Though  often  regarded  as  insig- 
nificant by  those  not  knowing  the  will  of  God,  they  are,  in 
his  eyes,  an  abomination,  and  if  we  are  to  remain  his  favored 
people  they  must  be  shunned  as  the  gates  of  hell.  The  evil 
results  of  these  sins  are  so  patent  in  vice,  crime,  misery  and 
disease  that  it  would  appear  that  all,  young  and  old,  must 


346  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

perceive  and  sense  them.  They  are  destroying  the  world.  If 
we  are  to  be  preserved  we  must  abhor  them,  shun  them,  not 
practice  the  least  of  them,  for  they  weaken  and  enervate,  they 
kill  man  spiritually,  they  make  him  unfit  for  the  company  of 
the  righteous  and  the  presence  of  God. — Juvenile  Instructor, 
Vol.  37,  p.  400,  July  1,  1902. 

MALE  AND -FEMALE  ENTER  HEAVEN.  No  man  will  ever 
enter  there  until  he  has  consummated  his  mission ;  for  we 
have  come  here  to  be  conformed  to  the  likeness  of  God.  He 
made  us  in  the  beginning  in  his  own  image  and  in  his  own 
likeness,  and  he  made  us  male  and  female.  We  never  could 
be  in  the  image  of  God  if  we  were  not  both  male  and  female. 
Read  the  Scriptures,  and  you  will  see  it  for  yourselves 
as  God  has  said  it.  He  has  made  us  in  his  own  form  and 
likeness,  and  here  we  are,  male  and  female,  parents  and  chil- 
dren. And  we  must  become  more  and  more  like  him — more 
like  him  in  love,  in  charity,  in  forgiveness,  in  patience, 
longsuffering  and  forbearance,  in  purity  of  thought  and 
action,  in  intelligence,  and  in  all  respects,  that  we  may  be 
worthy  of  exaltation  in  his  presence.  It  is  for  this  that 
we  have  come  to  the  earth.  This  is  the  work  that  we  have 
to  perform.  God  has  shown  us  the  way  and  given  us  the 
means  by  which  we  may  consummate  and  fill  our  mission 
upon  this  earth  and  perfect  our  destiny ;  for  we  are  destined 
and  foreordained  to  become  like  God,  and  unless  we  do 
become  like  him  we  will  never  be  permitted  to  dwell  with 
him.  When  we  become  like  him  you  will  find  that  we  will 
be  presented  before  him  in  the  form  in  which  we  were 
created,  male  and  female.  The  woman  will  not  go  there 
alone,  and  the  man  will  not  go  there  alone,  and  claim  ex- 
altation. They  may  attain  a  degree  of  salvation  alone,  but 
when  they  are  exalted  they  will  be  exalted  according  to 
the  law  of  the  celestial  kingdom.  They  cannot  be  exalted 
in  any  other  way,  neither  the  living  nor  the  dead.  It  is 
well  for  us  to  learn  something  about  why  we  build  temples, 


M.  [RRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    347 

and  why  we  administer  in  them  for  the  dead  as  well  as  for 
the  living.  We  do  this  that  we  may  become  like  unto  him, 
and  dwell  with  him  eternally;  that  we  may  become  sons  of 
God,  heirs  of  God  and  joint  heirs  with  Jesus  Christ. — 
Tabernacle  Sermon,  June  12,  1898. 

MARRIAGE  TO  REPLENISH  THE  EARTH.  Those  who 
have  taken  upon  themselves  the  responsibility  of  wedded 
life  should  see  to  it  that  they  do  not  abuse *the  course  of 
nature;  that  they  do  not  destroy  the  principle  of  life  within 
them,  nor  violate  any  of  the  commandments  of  God.  The 
command  which  he  gave  in  the  beginning  to  multiply  and 
replenish  the  earth  is  still  in  force  upon  the  children  .of  men. 
Possibly  no  greater  sin  could  be  committed  by  the  people 
who  have  embraced  this  gospel  than  to  prevent  or  to  destroy 
life  in  the  manner  indicated.  We  are  born  into  the  world 
that  we  may  have  life,  and  we  live  that  we  may  have  a 
fulness  of  joy,  and  if  we  will  obtain  a  fulness  of  joy, 
we  must  obey  the  law  of  our  creation  and  the  law  by  which 
we  may  obtain  the  consummation  of  our  righteous  hopes  and 
desires— life  eternal.-^r.  C.  R.,  1900,  p.  40. 

ETERNAL  MARRIAGE.  Why  did  he  teach  us  the  principle 
of  eternal  union  of  man  and  wife  ?  Because  God  knew  that 
we  were  his  children  here,  to  remain  his  children  forever 
and  ever,  and  that  we  were  just  as  truly  individuals,  and 
that  our  individuality-  was  as  identical  as  that  of  the  Son  of 
God,  and  would  therefore  continue,  worlds  without  end. 
So  that  the  man  receiving  his  wife  by  the  power  of  God, 
for  time  and  for  all  eternity,  would  have  the  right  to  claim 
her  and  she  to  claim  her  husband,  in  the  world  to  come. 
Neither  would  be  changed,  except  from  mortality  to  im- 
mortality; neither  would  be  other  than  himself  or  herself, 
but  they  will  have  their  identity  in  the  world  to  come  pre- 
cisely as  they  exercise  their  individuality  and  enjoy  their 
identity  here.  God  has  revealed  this  principle,  and  it  has 
its  bearings  upon  the  evidence  that  we  possess  of  the  actual, 


348  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

• 

literal  resurrection  of  the  body,  just  as.  it  is  and  as  the 
prophets  have  declared  it  in  the  Book  of  Mormon. — Apr. 
C.  #.,1912,  pp.  136-137;  Mosiah  15  :20-23  ;  16:7-11 ;  Alma  40. 

ETERNITY  OF  THE  FAMILY  ORGANIZATION.  Our 
associations  (family)  are  not  exclusively  intended  for  this 
life,  for  time,  as  we  distinguish  it  from  eternity.  We  live 
for  time  and  for  eternity.  We  form  associations  and  re- 
lations for  time  and  all  eternity.  Our  affections  and  our 
desires  are  found  fitted  and  prepared  to  endure  not  only 
throughout  the  temporal  or  mortal  life,  but  through  all 
eternity.  Who  are  there  besides  the  Latter-day  Saints  who 
contemplate  the  thought  that  beyond  the  grave  we  will  con- 
tinue in  the  family  organization?  the  father,  the  mother,  the 
children  recognizing  each  other  in  the  relations  which  they 
owe  to  each  other  and  in  which  they  stand  to  each  other? 
this  family  organization  being  a  unit  in  the  great  and  perfect 
organization  of  God's  work,  and  all  destined  to  continue 
throughout  time  and  eternity? 

We  are  living  for  eternity  and  not  merely  for  the  mo- 
ment. Death  does  not  part  us  from  one  another,  if  we  have 
entered  into  sacred  relationships  with  each  other  by  virtue 
of  the  authority  that  God  has  revealed  to  the  children  of 
men.  Our  relationships  are  formed  for  eternity.  We  are 
immortal  beings,  and  we  are  looking  forward  to  the  growth 
that  is  to  be  attained  in  an  exalted  life' after  we  have  proved 
ourselves  faithful  and  true  to  the  covenants  that  we  have 
entered  into  here,  and  then  we  will  receive  a  fulness  of 
joy.  A  man  and  woman  who  have  embraced  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ  and  who  have  begun  life  togther,  should  be 
able  by  their  power,  example  and  influence  to  cause  their 
children  to  emulate  them  in  lives  of  virtue,  honor,  and  in 
integrity  to  the  kingdom  of  God  which  will  redound  to  their 
own  interest  and  salvation.  No  one  can  advise  my  children 
with  greater  earnestness  and  solicitude  for  their  happiness 
and  salvation  than  I  can  do  myself.  Nobody  has  more 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    349 

interest  in  the  welfare  of  my  own  children  than  I  have.  I 
cannot  be  satisfied  without  them.  They  are  part  of  me. 
They  are  mine ;  God  has  given  them  to  me,  and  I  want  them 
to  be  humble  and  submissive  to  the  requirements  of  the 
gospel.  I  want  them  to  do  right,  and  to  be  right  in  every 
particular,  so  that  they  will  be  worthy  of  the  distinction  that 
the  Lord  has  given  them  in  being  numbered  among  his 
covenant  people  who  are  choice  above  all  other  people,  be- 
cause they  have  made  sacrifice  for  their  own  salvation  in  the 
truth.  Speaking  of  the  fashions  of  the  world,  I  do  not  care 
to  say  very  much  on  the  subject,  but  I  do  think  that  we  live 
in  an  age  the  very  trend  of  which  is  to  vice  and  wickedness. 
I  believe  that  to  a  very  large  extent  the  fashions  of  the  day, 
and  especially  the  fashions  of  women,  have  a  tendency  to 
evil  and  not  to  virtue  or  modesty,  and  I  deplore  that  evident 
fact,  for  you  see  it  on  every  hand.  Young  men  want  to 
get  homes  that  are  palatial,  that  are  fine  in  all  their  appoint- 
ments, and  as  modern  as  anybody  else's  before  they  will 
get  married.  I  think  it  is  a  mistake.  I  think  that  young 
men  and  young  women,  too,  should  be  willing,  even  at  this 
day,  and  in  the  present  condition  of  things,  to  enter  the 
sacred  bonds  of  marriage  together  and  fight  their  way  to- 
gether to  success,  meet  their  obstacles  and  their  difficulties, 
and  cleave  together  to  success,  and  co-operate  in  their 
temporal  affairs,  so  that  they  shall  succeed.  Then  they  will 
learn  to  love,  one  another  better,  and  will  be  more  united 
throughout  their  lives,  and  the  Lord  will  bless  them  more 
abundantly.  I  regret,  I  think  it  is  a  crying  evil,  that  there 
should  exist  a  sentiment  or  a  feeling  among  any  members 
of  the  Church  to  curtail  the  birth  of  their  children.  I  think 
that  is  a  crime  wherever  it  occurs,  where  husband  and  wife 
are  in  possession  of  health  and  vigor  and  are  free  from 
impurities  that  would  be  entailed  upon  their  posterity.  I 
believe  that  where  people  undertake  to  curtail  or  prevent 
the  birth  of  their  children  that  they  are  going  to  reap 


350  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

disappointment  by  and  by.  I  have  no  hesitancy  in  saying 
that  I  believe  this  is  one  of  the  greatest  crimes  of  the  world 
today,  this  evil  practice. — Relief  Society  Magazine,  Vol  4, 
June,  1917,  p.  314  et.  seq. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  MARRIAGE  WITHIN  THE  CHURCH.  I 
would  rather  go  myself  to  the  grave  than  to  be  associated 
with  a  wife  outside  of  the  bonds  of  the  new  and  everlasting 
covenant.  Now,  I  hold  it  just  so  sa'cred ;  but  some  members 
of  the  Church  do  not  so  regard  the  matter.  Some  people  feel 
that  it  does  not  make  very  much  difference  whether  a  girl 
marries  a  man  in  the  Church,  full  of  the  faith  of  the  gospel, 
or  an  unbeliever.  Some  of  our  young  people  have  married 
outside  the  Church,  but  very  few  of  those  who  have  done 
it  have  failed  to  come  to  grief.  I  would  like  to  see  Latter- 
da}-  Saint  women  marry  Latter-day  Saint  men,  and  Latter- 
day  Saint  men  marry  Latter-day  Saint  women ;  and  let 
Methodists  marry  Methodists.  Catholics  marry  Catholics, 
and  Presbyterians  marry  Presbyterians,  and  so  on  to  the 
limit.  Let  them  keep  within  the  pale  of  their  own  faith 
and  church,  and  marry  and  inter-marry  there,  and  let 
the  Latter-day  Saints  do  the  same  thing  in  their  Church ; 
then  we  will  see  who  comes  out  best  in  the  end.— Oct.  C. 
R.,  1909,  pp.  5,  6. 

No  MARRIAGE  IN  HEAVEN.  Why  did  Jesus  teach  the 
doctrine  that  there  was  no  marrying,  nor  giving  in  marriage 
in  the  other  world?  Why  did  he  teach  the  doctrine  that 
marriage  was  instituted  by  the  Father  and  designed  to  be 
accomplished  in  this  life?  Why  did  he  rebuke  those  who 
sought  to  entrap  him  when  they  brought  to  him  the  example 
of  the  fulfilment  of  the  law  of  Moses,  for  Moses  wrote 
the  law  that  God  gave  him,  that  if  a  man  married  in  Israel 
and  died  without  issue,  it  was  the  duty  of  his  brother  to 
take  his  widow  and  raise  up  seed  unto  his  brother ;  and 
when  seven  of  these  brothers — (which  is  doubtless  a  prob- 
lem that  these  men  put  to  the  Savior  in  order  to  entrap  him 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    351 

if  they  could)— had  taken  her,  to  whom  should  she  belong 
in  the  resurrection,  since  they  all  had  her?  Jesus  declared 
to  them,  "Ye  do  err,  not  knowing  the  Scriptures,  nor  the 
power  of  God."  They  did  not  understand  the  principle  of 
sealing  for  time  and  for  all  eternity;  that  what  God  hath 
joined  together  neither  man  nor  death  can  put  asunder. 
(Matt.  19:6)  They  had  wandered  from  that  principle.  It 
had  fallen  into  disuse  among  them;  they  had  ceased  to  un- 
derstand it;  and  consequently  they  did  not  comprehend  the 
truth ;  but  Christ  did.  She  could  only  be  the  wife  in  eternity 
of  the  man  to  whom  she  was  united  by  the  power  of  God 
for  eternity,  as  well  as  for  time;  and  Christ  understood  the 
principle,  but  he  did  not  cast  his  pearls  before  the  swine  that 
tempted  him.— Apr.  C.  R.>  1912,  p.  136. 

PLURAL  MARRIAGE  FORBIDDEN.  Official  Statement — 
"Inasmuch  as  there  are  numerous  reports  in  circulation 
that  plural  marriages  have  been  entered  into  contrary  to 
the  official  declaration  of  President  Woodruff,  of  September 
26,  1890,  commonly  called  the  Manifesto,  which  was  issued 
by  President  Woodruff  and  adopted  by  the  Church  at  its 
general  conference,  October  6th,  1890,  which  forbade  any 
marriages  violative  of  the  law  of  the  land;  I,  Joseph  F. 
Smith,  President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints,  hereby  affirm  and  declare  that  no  such  marriages 
have  been  solemnized  with  the  sanction,  consent  or  knowl- 
edge of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  and 

"I  hereby  announce  that  all  such  marriages  are  pro- 
hibited, and  if  any  officer  or  member  of  the  Church  shall 
assume  to  solemnize  or  enter  into  any  such  marriage  he 
will  be  deemed  in  transgression  against  the  Church  and  will 
be  liable  to  be  dealt  with  according  to  the  rules  and  regu- 
lations thereof,  and  excommunicated  therefrom. 

"JOSEPH  F.  SMITH, 

"President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints." 
— Apr.  C.  R.,  1904,  p.  75. 


352  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

FURTHER  STATEMENT.  We  have  announced  in  previous 
conferences,  as  it  was  announced  by  President  Woodruff,  as 
it  was  announced  by  President  Snow,  and  as  it  was  re- 
announced  by  me  and  my  brethren,  and  confirmed  by  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  plural  marriages 
have  ceased  in  the.  Church.  There  isn't  a  man  today  in  this 
Church,  or  anywhere  else,  outside  of  it,  who  has  authority 
to  solemnize  a  plural  marriage — not  one!  There  is  no  man 
or  woman  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
who  is  authorized  to  contract  a  plural  marriage.  It  is  not 
permitted,  and  we  have  been  endeavoring  to  the  utmost 
of  our  ability  to  prevent  men  from  being  led  by  some  de- 
signing person  into  an  unfortunate  condition  that  is  for- 
bidden by  the  conferences,  and  by  the  voice  of  the  Church, 
a  condition  that  has  to  some  extent  at  least,  brought  re- 
proach upon  the  people.  I  want  to  say  that  we  have  been 
doing  all  in  our  power  to  prevent  it,  or  to  stop  it;  and  in 
order  that  we  might  do  this,  we  have  been  seeking,  to  our 
utmost,  to  find  the  men  who  have  been  the  agents  and  the 
cause  of  leading  people  into  it.  We  find  it  very  difficult  to 
trace  them,  but  when  we  do  find  them,  and  can  prove  it 
upon  them,  we  will  deal  with  them  as  we  have  dealt  with 
others  that  we  have  been  able  to  find. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1911,  p.  8. 

MARRIAGE  AND  LARGE  FAMILIES  DESIRABLE.  Bachelor- 
hood and  small  families  carry  to  the  superficial  mind  the 
idea  that  they  are  desirable  because  they  bring  with  them 
the  minimum  of  responsibility.  The  spirit  that  shirks 
responsibility  shirks  labor.  Idleness  and  pleasure  take  the 
place  of  industry  and  strenuous  effort.  The  love  of  pleasure 
and  of  an  easy  life  in  turn  make  demands  upon  young  men 
who  refuse  to  look  upon  marriage  and  its  consequent  family 
enlargement  as  a  sacred  duty.  The  real  fault  lies  with  the 
young  men.  The  license  of  the  age  leads  them  from  paths 
of  duty  and  responsibility  to  the  pitfalls  of  a  pleasure-lov- 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    353 

ing  world.  Their  sisters  are  the  victims  of  neglect  and  of 
a  ijreat  social  and  family  wrong. 

Women  would  marry  if  they  coukl,  and  would  accept 
cheerfully  the  responsibilities  of  family  life.  This  loss  to 
the  home  is  a  loss  the  nation  must  feel,  as  years  go  on. 
Time  will  vindicate  the  laws  of  God  and  the  truth  that  in- 
dividual human  happiness  is  found  in  duty  and  not  in  pleas- 
ure and  freedom  from  care. 

The  spirit  of  the  world  is  contagious.  We  cannot  live 
in  the  midst  of  such  social  conditions  without  suffering 
from  the  effects  of  their  allurements.  Our  young  people 
will  be  tempted  to  follow  the  example  of  the  world  about 
them.  There  is  already  a  strong  tendency  to  make  sport 
of  the  obligations  to  marry.  Pretexts  of  ambition  are  set 
up  as  an  excuse  to  postpone  marriage  till  some  special  ob- 
ject is  attained.  Some  of  our  leading  young  men  desire 
to  complete  first  a  course  of  study  at  home  or  abroad.  Being 
natural  leaders  in  society  their  example  is  dangerous,  and 
the  excuse  is  one  of  questionable  propriety.  It  were  better 
far  that  many  such  young  men  never  went  to  college  than 
that  the  excuse  of  college  life  be  made  the  reason  for  post- 
poning marriage  beyond  the  proper  age. — Juvenile  Instruc- 
tor, Vol.  40,  pp.  240,  241,  April  15,  1905. 

BE  TRUE  TO  YOUR  WIVES  AND  CHILDREN.  And  oh ! 
my  brethren,  be  true  to  your  families,  be  true  to  your  wives 
and  children.  Teach  them  the  way  of  life.  Do  not  allow 
them  to  get  so  far  from  you  that  they  will  become  oblivious 
to  you  or  to  any  principle  of  honor,  purity  or  truth.  Teach 
your  children  so  that  they  cannot  commit  sin  without  viola- 
ting their  conscience,  teach  them  the  truth,  that  they  may 
not  depart  from  it.  Bring  them  up  in  the  way  they  should 
go,  and  when  they  get  old  they  will  not  depart  from  it.  If 
you  will  keep  your  boys  close  to  your  heart,  within  the 
clasp  of  your  arms ;  if  you  will  make  them  to  feel  that  you 
love  them,  that  you  are  their  parents,  that  they  are  your 

24 


354  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

children,  and  keep  them  near  to  you,  they  will  not  go  very 
far  from  you,  and  they  will  not  commit  any  very  great  sin. 
But  it  is  when  you  turn  them  out  of  the  home,  turn  them 
out  of  your  affection — out  into  the  darkness  of  the  night 
into  the  society  of  the  depraved  or  degraded;  it  is  when 
they  become  tiresome  to  you,  or  you  are  tired  of  their  in- 
nocent noise  and  prattle  at  home,  and  you  say,  "Go  off  some- 
where else, — "  it  is  this  sort  of  treatment  of  your  children 
that  drives  them  from  you,  and  helps  to  make  criminals 
and  infidels  of  them.  You  cannot  afford  to  do  this.  How 
would  I  feel  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God — (if  such  a 
thing  were  possible)  and  see  one  of  my  children  outside 
among  the  sorcerers,  the  whoremongers,  and  those  who  love 
and  make  a  lie,  and  that  because  I  have  neglected  my  duty 
toward  him  or  have  not  kept  a  proper  restraint  upon  him  ? 
Do  you  think  I  shall  be  exalted  in  the  kingdom  of  my  God 
with  this  stain  and  blot  upon  my  soul?  I  tell  you,  No!  No 
man  can  get  there  until  he  atones  for  such  crime  as  this — 
for  it  is  a  crime  in  the  sight  of  God  and  man  for  a  father 
to  carelessly  or  wilfully  neglect  his  children.  This  is  my 
sentiment.  Take  care  of  your  children.  They  are  the  hope 
of  Israel,  and  upon  them  will  rest,  by  and  by,  responsibility 
of  the  bearing  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  earth.  The 
Lord  bless  them  and  keep  them  in  the  path  of  righteousness, 
I  humbly  pray,  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  Amen. — Apr.  C.  R., 
1902,  p.  87. 

RESPECT  THE  RIGHTS  OF  OTHERS.  I  sincerely  hope 
that  \ve  shall  succeed  in  impressing  upon  the  minds  of  the 
rising  generation  a  sincere  regard,  not  only  for  themselves, 
to  keep  themselves  pure  and  unspotted  from  the  world,  but 
a  sincere  regard  for  the  rights  and  privileges  of  others. 
Our  children  should  be  taught  to  respect  not  only  their 
fathers  and  their  mothers,  and  their  brothers  and  sisters,  but 
they  should  be  taught  to  respect  all  mankind,  and  especially 
should  they  be  instructed  and  taught  and  brought  up  to 


MARRL  /(//•,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    355 

honor  the  aged  and  the  infirm,  the  unfortunate  and  the  poor, 
the  needy,  and  those  who  lack  the  sympathies  of  mankind. 

We  too  frequently  see  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  our 
children  to  make  fun  of  the  unfortunate.  A  poor  cripple, 
or  a  poor  weak-minded  person  comes  along,  and  the  boys 
will  poke  fun  at  him,  and  make  unbecoming  remarks  about 
him.  This  is  entirely  wrong,  and  such  a  spirit  as  this  should 
never  be  witnessed  among  the  children  of  the  Latter-day 
Saints.  They  ought  to  be  taught  better  at  home.  They 
should  be  thoroughly  taught  better  than  this  in  our  Sunday 
schools,  and  in  all  the  schools,  so  far  as  that  is  concerned, 
that  our  children  attend.  Our  children  should  be  taught  to 
venerate  that  which  is  holy,  that  which  is  sacred.  They 
should  venerate  the  name  of  God.  They  should  hold  in 
sacred  veneration  the  name  of  the  Son  of  God.  They  should 
not  take  Their  holy  names  in  vain;  and  they  should  also 
be  taught  to  respect  and  venerate  the  temples  of  God,  the 
places  of  worship  of  their  fathers  and  mothers.  Our  children 
should  be  taught  also  that  they  have  rights  in  the  house  of 
the  Lord  equal  to  their  parents  and  equal  to  their  neighbors 
or  anybody  else.  It  always  pains  me  to  see  our  little  ones 
disturbed  in  this  right.  I  witnessed  a  little  circumstance 
in  our  meeting  this  afternoon  in  the  aisle ;  a  little  child  was 
sitting  by  its  mother  on  a  seat.  Somebody  came  along  and 
took  the  little  child  off  its  seat,  and  occupied  the  seat  him- 
self, leaving  the  child  to  stand.  I  want  to  say  to  you,  my 
brethren  and  sisters,  that  that  act  sent  a  pang  to  my  heart. 
I  would  not,  for  anything  in  the  shape  of  remuneration  of 
a  worldly  character,  grieve  the  heart  of  a  little  child  in  the 
house  of  God,  lest  an  impression  should  be  left  upon  its 
mind  that  would  make  the  house  of  worship  a  distasteful 
place,  and  it  would  prefer  not  to  come  within  its  walls,  than 
to  come  and  be  offended. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol  39,  p. 
657,  Semi- Annual  S.  S.  Conference,  October  9,  1904. 

MUTUAL  TREATMENT  OF  HUSBAND,  WIFE  AND  CHIL- 


356  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

DREN.  Parents,  in  the  first  place,  whether  they  do  it  or 
not,  should  love  and  respect  each  other,  and  treat  each  other 
with  respectful  decorum,  and  kindly  regard  all  the  time. 
The  husband  should  treat  his  wife  with  the  utmost  courtesy 
and  respect.  The  husband  should  never  insult  her;  he 
should  never  speak  slightly  of  her,  but  should  always  hold 
her  in  the  highest  esteem  in  the  home,  in  the  presence  of  their 
children.  We  do  not  always  do  it,  perhaps ;  some  of  us, 
perhaps,  do  not  do  it  at  all.  But  nevertheless  it  is  true  that 
we  ought  to  do  it.  The  wife,  also,  should  treat  the  hus- 
band with  the  greatest  respect  and  courtesy.  Her  words 
to  him  should  not  be  keen  and  cutting  and  sarcastic.  She 
should  not  pass  slur's  or  insinuations  at  him.  She  should  not 
nag  him.  She  should  not  try  to  arouse  his  anger  or  make 
things  unpleasant  about  the  home.  The  wife  should  be  a 
joy  to  her  husband,  and  she  should  live  and  conduct  her- 
self at  home  so  the  home  will  be  the  most  joyous,  the  most 
blessed  place  on  earth  to  her  husband.  This  should  be  the 
condition  of  the  husband,  wife,  the  father  and  the  mother, 
within  the  sacred  precincts  of  that  holy  place,  the  home. 
Then  it  will  be  easy  for  the  parents  to  instil  into  the  hearts 
of  their  children,  not  only  love  for  their  fathers  and  their 
mothers,  not  only  respect  and  courtesy  towards  their  parents, 
but  love  and  courtesy  and  deference  between  the  children 
at  home.  The  little  brothers  will  respect  their  little  sisters. 
The  little  boys  will  respect  one  another.  The  little  girls 
will  respect  one  another  and  the  girls  and  boys  will  respect 
one  another,  and  treat  one  another  with  that  love,  that 
deference  and  respect  that  should  be  observed  in  the  home  on 
the  part  of  the  little  children.  Then  it  will  be  easy  for  the 
Sunday  school  teacher  to  continue  the  training  of  the  child 
under  the  hallowed  influence  of  the  Sabbath  school ;  and 
the  child  will  be  tractable  and  easily  led,  because  the  founda- 
tion of  a  correct  education  has  been  laid  in  the  heart  and 
mind  of  the  child  at  home.  The  teacher  can  then  help  the 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    357 

little  children,  brought  up  under  these  proper  influences, 
to  render  respect  and  courtesy  to  all  men  and  especially 
to  the  unfortunate,  the  aged  and  the  infirm. — Apr.  C.  R., 
1905,  pp.  84-85. 

WE  SHOULD  BE  EXAMPLES  TO  OUR  FAMILIES.  When 
I  think  of  our  mothers,  the  mothers  of  our  children,  and 
realize  that  under  the  inspiration  of  the  gospel  they  live 
virtuous,  pure,  honorable  lives,  true  to  their  husbands,  true 
to  their  children,  true  to  their  convictions  of  the  gospel,  oh, 
how  my  soul  goes  out  in  pure  love  for  them;  how  noble 
and  how  God-given,  how  choice,  how  desirable  and  how  in- 
dispensable they  are  to  the  accomplishment  of  God's  pur- 
poses and  the  fulfilment  of  his  decrees !  My  brethren,  can 
you  mistreat  your  wives,  the  mothers  of  your  children? 
Can  you  help  treating  them  with  love  and  kindness?  Can 
you  help  trying  to  make  their  lives  as  comfortable  and 
happy  as  possible,  lightening  their  burdens  to  the  utmost 
of  your  ability,  making  life  pleasant  for  them  and  for  their 
children  in  their  homes?  How  can  you  help  it?  How  can 
any  one  help  feeling  an  intense  interest  in  the  mother  of  his 
children,  and  also  in  his  children?  If  we  possess  the  Spirit 
of  God,  we  can  not  do  otherwise.  It  is  only  when  men 
depart  from  the  right  spirit,  when  they  digress  from  their 
duty,  that  they  will  neglect  or  dishonor  any  soul  that  is 
committed  to  their  care.  They  are  bound  to  honor  their 
wives  and  children.  Intelligent  men,  men  of  business,  men 
of  affairs,  men  who  are  involved  constantly  in  the  labors 
of  life,  and  have  to  devote  their  energies  and  thought  to 
their  labors  and  duties,  may  not  enjoy  as  many  comforts 
with  their  families  as  they  would  like,  but  if  they  have  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  with  them  in  the  performance  of  their 
temporal  duties,  they  will  never  neglect  the  mothers  of 
their  children,  nor  their  children.  They  will  not  fail  to  teach 
them  the  principles  of  life  and  set  before  them  a  proper 
example.  Don't  do  anything  yourselves  that  you  would  have 


358  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

to  say  to  your  boy,  "Don't  do  it."  Live  so  that  you  can  say, 
"My  son,  do  as  I  do,  follow  me,  emulate  my  example."  That 
is  the  way  fathers  should  live,  every  one  of  us ;  and  it  is  a 
shame,  a  weakening,  shameful  thing  for  any  member  of  the 
Church  to  pursue  a  course  that  he  knows  is  not  right,  and 
that  he  would  rather  his  children  should  not  follow. — Apr. 
C.  R.,  1915,  pp.  6-7. 

THE  TRUEST  GREATNESS.  After  all,  to  do  well  those 
things  which  God  ordained  to  be  the  common  lot  of  all  man- 
kind, is  the  truest  greatness.  To  be  a  successful  father 
or  a  successful  mother  is  greater  than  to  be  a  successful 
general  or  a  successful  statesman.  One  is  universal  and 
eternal  greatness,  the  other  is  phenomenal.  It  is  true  that 
such  secondary  greatness  may  be  added  to  that  which  we 
style  commonplace;  but  when  such  secondary  greatness  is 
not  added  to  that  which  is  fundamental,  it  is  merely  an 
empty  honor,  and  fades  away  from  the  common  and  uni- 
versal good  in  life,  even  though  it  may  find  a  place  in  the 
desultory  pages  of  history.  Our  first  care,  after  all,  brings 
us  back  to  that  beautiful  admonition  of  our  Savior:  "Seek 
ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  his  righteousness ;  and  all 
these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you."  (Matt.  6:33.) 

We  should  never  be  discouraged  in  those  daily  tasks 
which  God  has  ordained  to  the  common  lot  of  man.  Each 
day's  labor  should  be  undertaken  in  a  joyous  spirit  and  with 
the  thought  and  conviction  that  our  happiness  and  eternal 
welfare  depend  upon  doing  well  that  which  we  ought  to  do, 
that  which  God  has  made  it  our  duty  to  do.  Many  are  un- 
happy because  they  imagine  that  they  should  be  doing  some- 
thing unusual  or  something  phenomenal.  Some  people 
would  rather  be  the  blossom  of  a  tree  and  be  admiringly 
Seen  than  be  an  enduring  part  of  the  tree  and  live  the  com- 
monplace life  of  the  tree's  existence. 

Let  us  not  be  trying  to  substitute  an  artificial  life  for 
the  true  one.  He  is  truly  happy  who  can  see  and  appreciate 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    359 

the  beauty  with  which  God  has  adorned  the  commonplace 
things  of  life. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  40,  pp.  572-3,  Dec. 
15,  1905. 

PARENTS  RESPONSIBLE  FOR  THEIR  CHILDREN.  The  par- 
ents in  Zion  will  be  held  responsible  for  the  acts  of  their 
children,  not  only  until  they  become  eight  years  old,  but,  per- 
haps, throughout  all  the  lives  ,of  their  children,  provided  they 
have  neglected  their  duty  to  their  children  while  they  were 
under  their  care  and  guidance,  and  the  parents  were  respon- 
sible for  them.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1910,  p.  6. 

THE  FATHER  THE  PRESIDING  AUTHORITY  OF  THE  FAM- 
ILY. There  is  no  higher  authority  in  matters  relating  to  the 
family  organization,  and  especially  when  that  organization 
is  presided  over  by  one  holding  the  higher  priesthood,  than 
that  of  the  father.  This  authority  is  time  honored,  and 
among  the  people  of  God  in  all  dispensations  it  has  been 
highly  respected  and  often  emphasized  by  the  teachings  of 
rhe  prophets  who  were  inspired  of  God.  The  patriarchal  or- 
der is  of  divine  origin  and  will  continue  throughout  time  and 
eternity.  There  is,  then,  a  particular  reason  why  men, 
women  and  children  should  understand  this  order  and  this 
authority  in  the  households  of  the  people  of  God,  and  seek 
to  make  it  what  God  intended  it  to  be,  a  qualification  and 
preparation  for  the  highest  exaltation  of  his  children.  In 
the  home  the  presiding  authority  is  always  vested  in  the 
father,  and  in  all  home  affairs  and  family  matters  there  is 
no  other  authority  paramount.  To  illustrate  this  principle, 
a  single  incident  will  perhaps  suffice.  It  sometimes  hap- 
pens that  the  elders  are  called  in  to  administer  to  the  mem- 
bers of  a  family.  Among  these  elders  there  may  be  pres- 
idents of  stakes,  apostles,  or  even  members  of  the  first 
presidency  of  the  Church.  It  is  not  proper  under  these 
circumstances  for  the  father  to  stand  back  and  expect  the 
elders  to  direct  the  administration  of  this  important  ordin- 
ance. The  father  is  there.  It  is  his  right  and  it  is  his  duty 


360  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

to  preside.  He  should  select  the  one  who  is  to  administer 
the  oil,  and  the  one  who  is  to  be  mouth  in  prayer,  and  he 
should  not  feel  that  because  there  are  present  presiding 
authorities  in  the  Church  that  he  is  therefore  divested  of 
his  rights  to  direct  the  administration  of  that  blessing  of  the 
gospel  in  his  home.  (If  the  father  be  absent,  the  mother 
should  request  the  presiding  authority  present  to  take 
charge.)  The  father  presides  at  the  table,  at  prayer,  and 
gives  general  directions  relating  to  his  family  life  whoever 
may  be  present.  Wives  and  children  should  be  taught  to  feel 
that  the  patriarchal  order  in  the  kingdom  of  God  has  been 
established  for  a  wise  and  beneficent  purpose,  and  should 
sustain  the  head  of  the  household  and  encourage  him  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duties,  and  do  all  in  their  power  to  aid  him 
in  the  exercise  of  the  rights  and  privileges  which  God  has 
bestowed  upon  the  head  of  the  home.  This  patriarchal  order 
has  its  divine  spirit  and  purpose,  and  those  who  disregard 
it  under  one  pretext  or  another  are  out  of  harmony  with 
the  spirit  of  God's  laws  as  they  are  ordained  for  recognition 
in  the  home.  It  is  not  merely  a  question  of  who  is  perhaps 
the  best  qualified.  Neither  is  it  wholly  a  question  of  who  is 
living  the  most  worthy  life.  It  is  a  question  largely  of  law 
and  order,  and  its  importance  is  seen  often  from  the  fact 
that  the  authority  remains  and  is  respected  long  after  a  man 
is  really  unworthy  to  exercise  it. 

This  authority  carries  with  it  a  responsibility,  and  a 
grave  one,  as  well  as  its  rights  and  privileges,  and  men  can 
not  be  too  exemplary  in  their  lives,  nor  fit  themselves  too 
carefully  to  live  in  harmony  with  this  important  and  God- 
ordained  rule  of  conduct  in  .the  family  organization.  Upon 
the  authority  certain  promises  and  blessings  are  predicated, 
and  those  who  observe  and  respect  this  authority  have  cer- 
tain claims  on  divine  favor  which  they  cannot  have  except 
they  respect  and  observe  the  laws  that  God  has  established 
for  the  regulation  and  authority  of  the  home.  "Honor  thy 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    361 

father  and  thy  mother :  that  thy  days  may  be  long  upon  the 
land  which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee,"  was  a  funda- 
mental law  to  ancient  Israel,  and  is  binding  upon  every 
member  of  the  Church  today,  for  the  law  is  eternal. 

The  necessity,  then,  of  recognizing  the  patriarchal  order 
and  authority  of  the  home  rests  upon  principle  as  well  as 
upon  the  person  who  holds  that  authority,  and  among  the 
Latter-day  Saints  family  discipline,  founded  upon  the  law 
of  the  patriarchs,  should  be  carefully  cultivated,  and  fathers 
will  then  be  able  to  remove  many  of  the  difficulties  that  now 
weaken  their  position  in  the  home,  through  unworthy  chil- 
dren. 

The  principles  here  set  forth  are  of  more  importance 
than  many  parents  have  heretofore  attached  to  them,  and  the 
unfortunate  position  today  in  the  homes  of  many  of  the  el- 
ders of  Israel  is  directly  traceable  to  a  want  of  appreciation 
of  their  truthfulness. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  37,  p.  148, 
March  1,  1902. 

DUTIES  OF  FATHERS.  May  the  fathers  in  Israel  live  as 
they  should  live ;  treat  their  wives  as  they  should  treat  them ; 
make  their  homes  as  comfortable  as  they  possibly  can ; 
lighten  the  burdens  upon  their  companions  as  much  as  pos- 
sible ;  set  a  proper  example  before  their  children ;  teach 
them  to  meet  with  them  in  prayer,  morning  and  night,  and 
whenever  they  sit  down  to  partake  of  food,  to  acknowledge 
the  mercy  of  God  in  giving  them  the  food  that  they  eat  and 
the  raiment  that  they  wear,  and  acknowledge  the  hand  of 
God  in  all  things.  This  is  our  duty,  and  if  we  do  not  do  it 
the  Lord  will  be  displeased,  for  he  has  said  so.  He  is  only 
pleased  with  those  who  acknowledge  his  hand  in  all  things. 
-Oct.  C.  R.,  1909,  p.  9;  Doc.  and  Cov.  59:7,  21. 

MOTHERHOOD  THE  FOUNDATION  OF  HOME  AND  NATION. 
Motherhood  lies  at  the  foundation  of  happiness  in  the  home, 
and  of  prosperity  in  the  nation.  God  has  laid  upon  men 
and  women  very  sacred  obligations  with  respect  to  mother- 


362  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

hood,  and  they  are  obligations  that  cannot  be  disregarded 
without  invoking  divine  displeasure.  In  I  Timothy  2:13-15, 
we  are  told  that,  "Adam  was  first  formed,  then  Eve.  And 
Adam  was  not  deceived,  but  the  woman  being  deceived  was 
in  the  transgression.  Notwithstanding  she  shall  be  saved 
in  child-bearing,  if  they  continue  in  faith  and  charity  and 
holiness  with  sobriety."  Can  she  be  saved  without  child- 
bearing?  She  indeed  takes  an  awful  risk  if  she  wilfully 
disregards  what  is  a  pronounced  requirement  of  God.  How 
shall  she  plead  her  innocence  when  she  is  not  innocent? 
How  shall  she  excuse  her  guilt  when  it  is  fastened  upon 
her? 

The  question  of  parental  obligation  in  the  matter  of 
children  is  not  generally  denied.  A  failure  to  fulfil  the 
obligation,  however,  is  too  frequently  excused. 

"Children,"  we  are  told,  "are  a  heritage  of  the  Lord ;" 
they  are  also,  the  Psalmist  tells  us,  "his  reward."  If  chil- 
dren are  cut  off  from  their  birthright,  how  shall  the  Lord 
be  rewarded?  They  are  not  a  source  of  weakness  and  pov- 
erty to  family  life,  for  they  bring  with  them  certain  divine 
blessings  that  make  for  the  prosperity  of  the  home  and  the 
nation.  "As  arrows  are  in  the  hand  of  a  mighty  man ;  so 
are  children  of  the  youth.  Happy  is  the  man  that  hath  his 
quiver  full  of  them:  they  shall  not  be  ashamed,  but  they 
shall  speak  with  the  enemies  in  the  gate"  (Psalm  127:4,  5). 

What  answer  shall  men  and  women  make  in  excuse 
of  conduct  which  contravenes  the  commandments  of  God? 
Those  whose  hearts  are  in  touch  with  God's  most  sacred 
laws  will  make  great  sacrifices  honestly  to  fulfil  them. 

There  has,  however,  of  late  arisen  a  condition  in  our 
social  life  that  is  working  against  the  divine  requirements  of 
motherhood.  Men  and  women  plead  the  enormous  increase 
in  the  cost  of  child-bearing.  The  requirements  for  mother- 
hood in  matters  of  doctors'  fees,  nurses'  bills  and  hospital 
charges,  are  so  great  as  to  discourage  men  and  women  of 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    363 

slender  means.  The  burden  of  such  expenses  are  certainly 
becoming  great,  and  if  they  are  likely  to  stand  directly  in 
the  way  of  God's  requirements,  something  should  be  done 
either  to  remove  them  or  mitigate  them,  and  some  means 
should  be  provided  that  will  protect  the  family  and  the  na- 
tion against  destruction.  It  is  a  problem  well  worthy  the 
attention  of  our  law-makers,  who  appropriate  generously 
in  matters  that  are  insignificant  when  compared  with  the 
health,  wealth  and  physical  prosperity  of  the  nation  that  en- 
courages the  birth  of  children. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol. 
50,  pp.  290,  291,  May,  1915. 

HUSBAND'S  SUCCESS  DEPENDENT  UPON  WIFE'S  FITNESS. 
There  is  no  organization  or  government  in  the  world  so  per- 
fectly planned  for  the  education  of  men  and  women  to  ex- 
ecutive responsibilities  as  is  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints.  Government  in  the  home  and  in  the 
Church  constitutes  an  important  part  in  the  lives  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  the  government  in  the  home  is  the  basis  of  all  suc- 
cessful government  in  church  or  state.  In  the  home  the 
mother  is  the  principal  disciplinarian  in  early  child  life,  and 
her  influence  and  discipline  determine  in  a  great  measure  the 
ability  of  her  children  to  assume  in  manhood  and  woman- 
hood the  larger  governments  in  church  and  state. 

In  addition,  however,  to  home  government,  women 
often  stand  with  their  husbands  in  responsible  places  and 
share  in  some  measure  the  success  or  failure  which  charac- 
terizes their  husbands'  administration  of  affairs.  In  select- 
ing men  to  occupy  responsible  positions  in  the  Church,  it 
not  infrequently  happens  that  a  useful  and  competent  man 
is  barred  from  consideration  because  of  the  deplorable  want 
of  fitness  in  the  wife,  and  though  a  wife  may  not  always  bar 
a  husband's  opportunities,  she  may,  nevertheless,  prove  a 
great  hindrance  to  him  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  that 
belong  to  his  office.  If  our  sisters  could  only  realize  how 
helpful  they  might  be  to  their  husbands  who  hold  responsi- 


364  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

ble  positions  in  the  Church,  and  if  they  would  only  take 
pride  and  pleasure  in  their  husbands'  administration  of 
affairs,  the  conduct  of  men  in  public  office  would  in  many 
instances  be  very  greatly  improved. 

The  word  and  the  law  of  God  are  as  important  for 
women  who  would  reach  wise  conclusions  as  they  are  for 
men;  and  women  should  study  and  consider  the  problems 
of  this  great  latter-day  work  from  the  standpoint  of  God's 
revelations,  and  as  they  may  be  actuated  by  his  Spirit,  which 
it  is  their  right  to  receive  through  the  medium  of  sincere  and 
heartfelt  prayer.  A  woman  without  heartfelt  devotion  for 
the  things  of  God  is  not  prepared  to  stand  at  her  husband's 
side  and  enjoy  his  confidence  in  the  graver  responsibilities 
that  devolve  upon  him  in  the  government  of  the  Church. 
Husbands  are  justified  in  withholding  their  confidence  from 
and  in  refusing  to  be  influenced  by  wives  whose  worldly 
ambitions  and  want  of  appreciation  of  divine  things  lead 
them  to  contend  for  personal  advantages  and  selfish  gains. 
Wives  of  leaders  should  have  a  generous  feeling  for  all 
that  relates  to  the  affairs  over  which  their  husbands  pre- 
side. Such  women  should  not  be  exclusive  in  their  social 
relations,  and  shoufd  avoid  the  evils  that  frequently  come 
from  yielding  to  the  influence  and  views  of  a  small  coterie 
that  may  have  selfish  aims  and  personal  advantages  to 
serve. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  38,  pp.  371,  372,  1903. 

DUTY  OF  PARENTS.  It  is  the  duty  of  Latter-day  Saints 
to  teach  their  children  the  truth,  to  bring  them  up  in  the  way 
they  should  go,  to  teach  them  the  first  principles  of  the 
gospel,  the  necessity  of  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins, 
and  for  membership  in  the  Church  of  Christ ;  teaching  them 
the  necessity  of  receiving  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the 
laying  on  of  hands,  which  will  lead  them  into  all  truth,  and 
which  will  reveal  to  them  things  that  have  passed  and  things 
which  are  to  come,  and  show  to  them  more  clearly  those 
things  which  are  present  with  them,  that  they  may  compre- 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    365 

hend  the  truth,  and  that  they  may  walk  in  the  light  as  Christ 
is  in  the  light ;  that  they  may  have  fellowship  with  him  and 
that  his  blood  may  cleanse  them  from  all  sin. — Apr.  C.  R., 
1912,  p.  135. 

WATCH  YOUR  CHILDREN.  Some  people  have  grown  to 
possess  such  unlimited  confidence  in  their  children  that  they 
do  not  believe  it  possible  for  them  to  be  led  astray  or  to  do 
wrong.  They  do  not  believe  they  could  do  wrong,  because 
they  have  such  confidence  in  them.  The  result  is  they  turn 
them  loose,  morning,  noon  and  night,  to  attend  all  kinds  of 
entertainments  and  amusements,  often  in  company  with 
those  whom  they  know  not  and  do  not  understand.  Some  of 
our  children  are  so  innocent  that  they  do  not  suspect  evil, 
and,  therefore,  they  are  off  their  guard  and  are  trapped  into 
evil.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1909,  p.  4. 

DUTY  TO  TEACH  CHILDREN.  Another  great  and  im- 
portant duty  devolving  upon  this  people  is  to  teach  their 
children,  from  their  cradle  until  they  become  men  and 
women,  every  principle  of  the  gospel,  and  endeavor,  as  far 
as  it  lies  in  the  power  of  the  parents,  to  instil  into  their 
hearts  a  love  for  God,  the  truth,  virtue,  honesty,  honor  and 
integrity  to  everything  that  is  good.  That  is  important  for 
all  men  and  women  who  stand  at  the  head  of  a  family  in 
the  household  of  faith.  Teach  your  children  the  love  of  God, 
teach  them  to  love  the  principles  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Teach  them  to  love  their  fellow  men,  and  especially 
to  love  their  fellow  members  in  the  Church,  that  they  may 
be  true  to  their  fellowship  with  the  people  of  God.  Teach 
them  to  honor  the  priesthood,  to  honor  the  authority  that 
God  has  bestowed  upon  his  Church  for  the  proper  govern- 
ment of  his  Church.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1915,  pp.  4,  5. 

WHAT  TO  TEACH  YOUR  CHILDREN.  We  are  a  Christian 
people,  we  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  we  feel  that 
it  is  our  duty  to  acknowledge  him  as  our  Savior  and  Re- 
deemer. Teach  it  to  your  children.  Teach  them  that  the 


3(>6  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

Prophet  Joseph  Smith  had  restored  to  him  the  priest- 
hood that  was  held  by  Peter  and  James  and  John,  who  were 
ordained  under  the  hands  of  the  Savior  himself.  Teach  them 
that  Joseph  Smith,  the  prophet,  when  only  a  boy,  was  chosen 
and  called  of  God  to  lay  the  foundations  of  the  Church  of 
Christ  in  the  world,  to  restore  the  holy  priesthood,  and  the 
ordinances  of  the  gospel,  which  are  necessary  to  qualify 
men  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Teach  your  chil- 
dren to  respect  their  neighbors.  Teach  your  children  to 
respect  their  bishops  and  the  teachers  that  come  to  their 
homes  to  teach  them.  Teach  your  children  to  respect  old 
age,  gray  hairs,  and  feeble  frames.  Teach  them  to  venerate 
and  to  hold  in  honorable  remembrance  their  parents,  and 
to  help  all  those  who  are  helpless  and  needy.  Teach  your 
children,  as  you  have  been  taught  yourselves,  to  honor  the 
priesthood  which  you  hold,  the  priesthood  which  we  hold 
as  elders  in  Israel.  Teach  your  children  to  honor  them- 
selves, teach  your  children  to  honor  the  principle  of  presi- 
dency by  which  organizations  are  held  intaqt  and  by  which 
strength  and  power  for  the  well-being  and  happiness  and 
upbuilding  of  the  people  are  preserved.  Teach  your  children 
that  when  they  go  to  school  they  should  honor  their  teachers 
in  that  which  is  true  and  honest,  in  that  which  is  manly  and 
womanly,  and  worth  while ;  and  also  teach  them  to  avoid  the 
bad  examples  of  their  teachers  out  of  school,  and  the  bad 
principles  of  men  and  women  who  are  sometimes  teachers 
in  schools.  Teach  your  children  to  honor  the  law  of  God  and 
the  law  of  the  state  and  the  law  of  our  country.  Teach  them 
to  respect  and  hold  in  honor  those  who  are  chosen  by  the  peo- 
ple to  stand  at  their  head  and  execute  justice  and  admin- 
ister the  law.  Teach  them  to  be  loyal  to  their  country,  loyal 
to  righteousness  and  uprightness  and  honor,  and  thereby 
they  will  grow  up  to  be  men  and  women  choice  above  all 
the  men  and  women  of  the  world. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1917,  pp.  5,  6. 
WHAT  CHILDREN  SHOULD  BE  TAUGHT.  I  pray  you,  my 


M.  IRRL  [GE,  Till*:  HOME  AND  FAMILY    367 

brethren  and  sisters,  who  have  children  in  Zion,  and  upon 
whom  rests  the  greater  responsibility,  teach  them  the  princi- 
ples of  the  gospel,  teach  them  to  have  faith  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  in  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins  when 
they  shall  reach  the  age  of  eight  years.  They  must  be  taught 
in  the  principles  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  by  their  par- 
ents, or  the  blood  of  the 'children  will  be  upon  the  skirts  of 
those  parents.  It  seems  to  me  so  plain  a  duty  and  so  neces- 
sary for  them  to  see  to  it  that  their  children  avail  themselves 
of  the  opportunities  that  are  afforded  them  in  having  them 
taught  and  instructed  in  these  principles  in  the  Sunday 
Schools  that  are  established  in  the  Church  and  conducted 
Sunday  after  Sunday  for  the  benefit  of  their  children.  I 
should  feel  contemptible,  I  was  going  to  say,  in  my  own 
mind,  in  my  own  feelings,  if  I  had  children  wrho  wrere  neg- 
lected by  their  parents  in  regard  to  these  matters.  Our  little 
ones  are  only  too  anxious  to  go  to  Sunday  school,  no  matter 
what  may  occur,  whether  it  rains  or  is  cold  or  pleasant,  or 
what  not;  whether  they  are  sick  or  well,  they  cannot  be 
kept  from  the  Sunday  school  unless  there  is  great  cause  for 
it.— Apr.  C,  R.,  1903,  p.  81. 

TRAINING  OF  CHILDREN  AT  HOME  AND  IN  SUNDAY 
SCHOOL.  It  does  not  need  argument  to  convince  our  minds 
that  our  children  will  be  just  about  what  we  make  them. 
They  are  born  without  knowledge  or  understanding — the 
most  helpless  creatures  of  the  animal  creation  born  into  the 
world.  The  little  one  begins  to  learn  after  it  is  born,  and 
all  that  it  knows  greatly  depends  upon  its  environment,  the 
influences  under  which  it  is  brought  up,  the  kindness  with 
which  it  is  treated,  the  noble  examples  shown  it,  the  hallowed 
influences  of  father  and  mother,  or  otherwise,  over  its  infant 
mind.  And  it  will  be  largely  \vhat  its  environment  and  its 
parents  and  teachers  make  it. 

The  child  of  the  lowest  of  our  native  tribes  born  in  a 
wigwam  and  the  child  born  in  luxury  start  out  almost  equal, 


368  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

so  far  as  the  possibilities  of  learning  are  concerned.  A  great 
deal  depends  upon  the  influences  under  which  it  is  brought 
up.  You  will  observe  that  the  most  potent  influence  over 
the  mind  of  a  child  to  persuade  it  to  learn,  to  progress,  or  to 
accomplish  anything,  is  the  influence  of  love.  More  can  be 
accomplished  for  good  by  unfeigned  love,  in  bringing  up  a 
child,  than  by  any  other  influence  that  can  be  brought  to  bear 
upon  it.  A  child  that  cannot  be  conquered  by  the  lash,  or 
subdued  by  violence,  may  be  controlled  in  an  instant  by  un- 
feigned affection  and  sympathy.  I  know  that  is  true ;  and 
this  principle  obtains  in  every  condition  of  life. 

The  Sunday  school  teacher  should  govern  the  children, 
not  by  passion,  by  bitter  words  or  scolding,  but  by  affection 
and  by  winning  their  confidence.  If  a  teacher  get  the  confi- 
dence of  a  child  it  is  not  impossible  to  accomplish  every  de- 
sired good  with  that  child. 

I  would  have  it  understood  that  I  believe  that  the  great- 
est law  and  commandment  of  God  is  to  love  the  Lord  our 
God  with  all  our  mind,  might  and  strength,  and  our  neigh- 
bors as  ourselves,  and  if  this  principle  is  observed  at  home 
the  brothers  and  sisters  will  love  one  another;  they  will  be 
kind  and  helpful  to  one  another,  showing  forth  the  principle 
of  kindness  and  being  solicitous  for  one  another's  good.  Un- 
der these  circumstances  the  home  comes  nearer  being  a 
heaven  on  earth,  and  children  brought  up  under  these  influ- 
ences will  never  forget  them,  and  though  they  may  be  in 
trying  places,  their  memories  will  revert  to  the  homes  where 
they  enjoyed  such  hallowed  influences,  and  their  better  na- 
tures will  assert  themselves  no  matter  what  the  trials  or 
temptations  may  be. 

Brethren  and  sisters  of  the  Sunday  school,  I  implore 
you  to  teach  and  control  by  the  spirit  of  love  and  forbear- 
ance until  you  can  conquer.  If  children  are  defiant  and  dif- 
ficult to  control,  be  patient  with  them  until  you  can  conquer 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    369 

by  love,  and  you  will  have  gained  their  souls,  and  you  can 
then  mold  their  characters  as  you  please. 

Sometimes  children  do  not  like  their  teachers,  and  the 
teachers  are  impatient  with  the  children,  and  complain  of 
them  as  being  very  uncouth,  uncontrollable  and  bad.  The 
children  in  their  turn  tell  their  parents  how  they  despise 
their  teachers,  and  say  they  don't  want  to  go  to  school  any 
more  because  the  teacher  is  so  cross.  I  have  heard  of  these 
things  and  know  them  to  be  true.  On  the  other  hand,  if 
children  say  to  father  and  mother,  "We  think  we  have  the 
best  teacher  in  the  world,  in  our  Sunday  school,"  or,  "We 
have  the  best  teacher  in  our  district  school  that  ever  lived," 
it  proves  that  those  teachers  have  won  the  affections  of  the 
children,  and  the  little  ones  are  as  clay  in  the  hands  of  the 
potter  to  be  molded  in  any  shape  desired.  This  is  the  posi- 
tion you  teachers  should  occupy,  and  if  you  get  their  affec- 
tions this  will  be  the  report  the  children  will  make  regard- 
ing you.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1902,  pp.  92,  93. 

TEACH  CHILDREN  THE  GOSPEL.  It  is  the  duty  of  parents 
to  teach  their  children  the  principles  of  the  gospel,  and  to  be 
sober-minded  and  industrious  in  their  youth.  They  should 
be  impressed  from  the  cradle  to  the  time  they  leave  the 
parental  roof  to  make  homes  and  assume  the  duties  of  life 
for  themselves,  that  there  is  a  seed  time  and  harvest,  and  as 
a  man  sows,  so  shall  he  reap.  The  sowing  of  bad  habits  in 
youth  will  bring  forth  nothing  better  than  vice,  and  the  sow- 
ing of  the  seeds  of  indolence  will  result  invariably  in  pov- 
erty and  lack  of  stability  in  old  age.  Evil  begets  evil,  and 
good  will  bring  forth  good. 

I  have  heard  people  say,  "We  pass  this  way  but  once, 
and  we  might  as  well  have  a  good  time  and  make  the  most 
of  it  while  life  lasts."  This  is  in  keeping  with  the  predic- 
tion in  the  Book  of  Mormon :  "And  there  shall  be  many 
which  shall  say,  Eat,  drink,  and  be  merry,  for  tomorrow 
we  die ;  and  it  shall  be  well  with  us.  *  *  *  Yea,  and 

25 


370  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

there  shall  be  many  which  shall  teach  after  this  manner, 
false,  and  vain,  and  foolish  doctrines,  and  shall  be  puffed 
up  in  their  hearts,  and  shall  seek  deep  to  hide  their  counsels 
from  the  Lord;  and  their  works  shall  be  in  the  dark"  (II 
Xephi  28:7-9). 

Let  the  parents  in  Zion  give  their  children  something  to 
do  that  they  may  be  taught  the  arts  of  industry,  and  equip- 
ped to  carry  responsibility  when  it  is  thrust  upon  them. 
Train  them  in  some  useful  vocation  that  their  living  may  be 
assured  when  they  commence  in  life  for  themselves.  Re- 
member, the  Lord  has  said  that  "the  idler  shall  not  eat  the 
bread  of  the  laborer,"  but  all  in  Zion  should  be  industrious. 
X cither  should  they  be  given  to  loud  laughter,  light  and  fool- 
ish speeches,  worldly  pride  and  lustful  desires,  for  these  are" 
not  only  unbecoming,  but  grievous  sins  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord.  And,  w<e  read  that  the  wages  of  sin  is  death,  and  death 
is  banishment  from  the  Spirit  and  presence  of  the  Lord. 

And  above  all  else,  let  us  train  our  children  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  gospel  of  our  Savior,  that  they  may  become  fa- 
miliar with  the  truth  and  walk  in  the  light  which  it  sheds 
forth  to  all  those  who  will  receive  it.  "He  that  seeketh  me 
early,"  the  Lord  has  said,  "shall  find  me,  and  shall  not  be 
forsaken."  It  behooves  us,  therefore,  to  commence  in  early 
life  to  travel  in  the  strait  and  narrow  path  which  leads  to 
eternal  salvation. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  52,  pp.  19,  20, 
January,  1917;  Rom.  6:23;  Prov.  8:17. 

TEACH  CHILDREN  THE  STORY  OF  JESUS'  DEATH.  Should 
the  little  children  of  the  kindergarten  be  taught  the  events 
leading  up  to  and  culminating  in  the  death  of  our  Savior? 
It  is  a  principle  widely  accepted  that  it  is  not  desirable  to 
teach  these  little  ones  those  things  that  are  horrifying  to 
childish  natures.  And  what  may  be  said  of  children  is 
equally  true  in  all  stages  of  student  life.  But  death  is  not  an 
unmixed  horror.  With  it  are  associated  some  of  the  pro- 
fed  ndest  and  most  important  truths  of  human  life.  Al- 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    371 

though  painful  in  the  extreme  to  those  who  must  suffer  the 
departure  of  dear  ones,  death  is  one  of  the  grandest  bless- 
ings in  divine  economy ;  and  we  think  children  should  be 
taught  something  of  its  true  meaning  as  early  in  life  as  pos- 
sible. 

We  are  born  that  we  may  put  on  mortality,  that  is,  that 
we  may  clothe  our  spirits  with  a  body.  Such  a  blessing  is 
the  first  step  toward  an  immortal  body,  and  the  second  step 
is  death.  Death  lies  along  the  road  of  eternal  progress ;  and 
though  hard  to  bear,  no  one  who  believes  in  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  especially  in  the  resurrection,  would  have 
it  otherwise.  Children  should  be  taught  early  in  life  that 
death  is  really  a  necessity  as  well  as  a  blessing,  and  that  we 
would  not  and  could  not  be  satisfied  and  supremely  happy 
without  it.  Upon  the  crucifixion  and  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus,  one  of  the  grandest  principles  of  the  gospel  depends. 
If  children  were  taught  this  early  in  life,  death  would  not 
have  the  horrifying  influence  that  it  does  have  over  many 
childish  minds. 

Children  are  sure  to  be  brought  into  some  acquaintance- 
ship with  the  incident  of  death,  even  during  the  kindergar- 
ten period ;  and  it  would  be  a  great  relief  to  the  puzzled  and 
perplexed  conditions  of  their  minds  if  some  intelligent  state- 
ments of  the  reason  for  death  were  made  to  them.  No  ex- 
planation of  death  to  a  child's  mind  can  anywhere  be  found 
that  is  more  simple  and  convincing  than  is  the  death  of  our 
Master,  connected  as  it  is  and  ever  must  be  with  his  glorious 
resurrection. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  40,  p.  336,  June  1, 
1905. 

WISE  GIVING  TO  CHILDREN.  It  is  very  gratifying  to 
parents  to  be  able  to  respond  to  the  desires  of  their  children, 
but  it  is  undoubtedly  a  cruelty  to  a  child  to  give  it  every- 
thing it  asks  for.  Children  may  wisely  be  denied  things 
which  even  in  themselves  are  harmless.  Our  pleasures  de- 
pend very  often  more  upon  the  qualities  of  our  desires  than 


372  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

upon  the  gratification.  A  child  may  be  ladened  with  gifts 
which  affords  him  little  or  no  pleasure,  simply  because  he  has 
no  desire  for  them.  The  education  then  of  our  desires  is  one 
of  far-reaching  importance  to  our  happiness  in  life ;  and 
when  we  learn  that  there  is  an  education  of  our  intellects  and 
we  are  set  about  that  education  with  prudence  and  wisdom, 
we  shall  do  much  to  increase  not  only  our  happiness  but  also 
our  usefulness  in  the  world. 

God's  ways  of  educating  our  desires  are,  of  course,  al- 
ways the  most  perfect,  and  if  those  who  have  it  in  their 
power  to  educate  and  direct  the  desires  of  children  would 
imitate  his  prudence,  the  children  would  be  much  more  for- 
tunate in  combating  the  difficulties  that  beset  men  every- 
where in  the  struggle  for  existence.  And  what  is  God's  way  ? 
Everywhere  in  nature  we  are  taught  the  lessons  of  patience 
and  waiting:  We  want  things  a  long  time  before  we  get 
them,  and  the  fact  that  we  wanted  them  a  long  time  makes 
them  all  the  more  precious  when  they  come.  In  nature  we 
have  our  seed-time  and  harvest ;  and  if  children  were  taught 
that  the  desires  that  they  sow  may  be  reaped  by  and  by 
through  patience  and  labor,  they  will  learn  to  appreciate 
whenever  a  long-looked-for  goal  has  been  reached.  Nature 
resists  us  and  keeps  admonishing  us  to  wait ;  indeed,  we  are 
compelled  to  wait. 

A  man  has  a  much  greater  capacity  to  enjoy  that  for 
which  he  has  labored  for  a  number  of  years  than  one  who 
has  a  similar  object  given  to  him.  It  is,  therefore,  most  un- 
fortunate for  children  when  their  parents  greatly  weaken  or 
almost  wholly  destroy  the  children's  capacity  for  the  enjoy- 
ment of  some  of  the  most  wholesome  pleasures  of  life.  The 
child  who  has  everything  he  wants  and  when  he  wants  it 
is  really  to  be  pitied,  for  he  has  no  ability  to  enjoy  it.  There 
may  be  a  hundred  times  more  pleasure  in  a  dollar  piece  for 
one  child  than  for  another. 

Our  desires  are  the  strongest  motives  which  incite  us 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    373 

to  energy  and  which  make  us  productive  and  creative  in 
life.  If  they  are  weak,  our  creations  are  likely  to  be  puny 
and  worthless.  Money  that  a  boy  works  for  has  a  value 
upon  his  life  and  an  actual  purchasing  power  greatly  in  ex- 
cess of  the  money  that  has  been  given  to  him.  And  what 
is  true  of  boys  is  in  a  large  measure  true  of  girls.  The  girl 
who  earns  something,  who  works  persistently  and  patiently 
that  she  may  have  money  she  can  call  her  own  has  a  capacity 
for  enjoying  the  objects  of  her  desires  greatly  in  excess  of 
the  girl  who  never  learned  to  earn  a  dollar.  She  also  knows 
and  appreciates  the  value  of  a  dollar  more  than  the  girl  who 
never  had  to  wait  until  she  earned  it.  It  is  a  mistake  for 
parents  to  suppose  that  a  daughter  ought  never  to  be  re- 
quired to  earn  anything.  Every  effort  by  which  we  seek 
the  fulfilment  of  our  desires  gives  strength  and  character  to 
manhood  and  womanhood.  The  man  who  builds  a  house  has 
vastly  more  enjoyment  in  its  occupation  than  the  man  who 
has  had  a  house  given  to  him. 

It  is  just  as  wrong  systematically  to  give  a  child  every- 
thing he  desires  as  to  deny  the  child  everything.  When  in- 
dulgent parents  fancy  that  they  are  adding  to  the  pleasure 
of  their  children's  lives  by  giving  to  them  whatever  they 
wish,  such  parents  are  in  fact  destroying  the  capacity  of 
their  children  to  enjoy  the  gratification  of  desires  weakened 
and  perverted  by  over-indulgence.  The  ability  to  give  to 
children  wisely  is  indeed  a  rare  attainment,  and  is  acquired 
only  by  a  thoughtful  and  prudent  exercise  of  the  highest 
sense  of  duty  which  parents  can  feel  for  their  children.  Duty 
is  always  preferable  to  indulgence. — Juvenile  Instructor,  p. 
400,  July  1,  1903. 

Do  NOT  PLACE  CHILDREN  UNDER  PLEDGES.  We  believe 
it  is  questionable  wisdom  to  put  children  under  a  pledge  of 
any  kind.  We  ourselves  do  not  put  our  children  under 
pledges,  and  we  see  no  reason  why  we  should  permit  others 
to  do  it.  Instructions  can  be  given  to  children  warning  them 


374  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

against  the  use  of  strong  drinks  arid  tobacco  just  as  well 
without  their  being  pledged  as  by  placing  that  responsibility 
upon  them.  No  man  or  set  of  people  should  be  permitted 
to  call  our  children  together  for  the  purpose  of  joining  a 
temperance  society,  without  they  first  obtain  the  consent  of 
the  parents  or  guardians  of  those  children;  and  we  take  it 
for  granted  that  no  such .  consent  would  be  given.  We 
also  take  it  for  granted  that  boards  of  education  could  not 
consistently,  without  such  permission,  allow  such  a  thing  to 
be  done  in  the  public  schools. 

It  should  be  understood  that  we,  the  Latter-day  Saints, 
teach  temperance  and  morality  as  part  of  our  religion,  and 
that  we  ourselves  are  competent  to  do  this  kind  of  work 
among  our  own  children  without  the  aid  of  outside  temper- 
ance societies. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  37,  p.  720,  Dec.  1, 
1902. 

CHILDREN  HAVE  EQUAL  RIGHTS  WITH  ELDERS  IN  THE 
HOUSE  OF  THE  LORD.  Our  children  should  be  taught  also  that 
they  have  rights  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  equal  to  their 
parents  and  equal  to  their  neighbors  or  anybody  else. — Oct. 
C.  R.,  1904,  p.  88. 

DON'T  MORTGAGE  YOUR  HOUSES.  My  brethren,  see  to 
it  that  you  do  not  put  a  mortgage  upon  the  roof  that  covers 
the  heads  of  your  wives  and  your  children.  Don't  do  it. 
Don't  plaster  your  farms  with  mortgage*,  because  it  is 
from  your  farms  that  you  reap  your  food,  and  the  means 
to  provide  your  raiment  and  your  other  necessaries  of  life. 
Keep  your  possessions  free  from  debt.  Get  out  of  debt  as 
fast  as  you  can,  and  keep  out  of  debt,  for  that  is  the  way 
in  which  the  promise  of  God  will  be  fulfilled  to  the  people 
of  his  Church,  that  they  will  become  the  richest  of  all  people 
in  the  world.  But  this  will  not  happen  while  you  mortgage 
your  homes  and  your  farms,  or  run  into  debt  beyond  your 
ability  to  meet  your  obligations;  and  thus,  perhaps,  your 
name  and  credit  be  dishonored  because  you  over-reached 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    375 

yourselves.     "Never  reach   further  than  you  can   gather," 
is  a  good  motto.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1915,  p.  11. 

No  SUBSTITUTE  FOR  THE  HOME.  The  growing  ten- 
dency throughout  the  country  to  abandon  the  home  for  the 
hotel  and  for  the  nomadic  life  with  its  ever-shifting  and 
restless  spirit,  manifests  itself  here  and  there  among  the 
Latter-day  Saints.  A  word  of  warning  at  this  time  may  not 
be  inappropriate  to  those  who  imagine  that  there  is  some 
charm  as  well  as  benefit  in  moving  about  the  world  in  quest 
of  pleasure  and  novelties  that  come  from  changing  fre- 
quently one's  habitation. 

There  is  no  substitute  for  the  home.  Its  foundation  is 
as  ancient  as  the  world,  and  its  mission  has  been  ordained 
of  God  from  the  earliest  times.  From  Abraham  sprang  two 
ancient  races  represented  in  Isaac  and  Ishmael.  The  one 
built  stable  homes,  and  prized  its  land  as  a  divine  inher- 
itance. The  other  became  children  of  the  desert,  and  as 
restless  as  its  ever-shifting  sands  upon  which  their  tents  were 
pitched.  From  that  day  to  the  present,  the  home  has  been 
the  chief  characteristic  of  superior  over  inferior  nations. 
The  home  then  is  more  than  a  habitation,  it  is  an  institution 
which  stands  for  stability  and  love  in  individuals  as  well  as 
in  nations. 

There  can  be  no  genuine  happiness  separate  and  apart 
from  the  home,  and  every  effort  made  to  sanctify  and  pre- 
serve its  influence  is  uplifting  to  those  who  toil  and  sacrifice 
for  its  establishment.  Men  and  women  often  seek  to  sub- 
stitute some  other  life  for  that  of  the  home ;  they  would 
make  themselves  believe  that  the  home  means  restraint ;  that 
the  highest  liberty  is  the  fullest  opportunity  to  move  about 
at  will.  There  is  no  happiness  without  service,  and  there 
is  no  service  greater  than  that  which  converts  the  home  into 
a  divine  institution,  and  which  promotes  and  preserves  family 
life.  •  i 

Those  who  shirk  home  responsibilities  are  wanting  in  an 


376  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

important  element  of  social  well-being.  They  may  indulge 
themselves  in  social  pleasures,  but  their  pleasures  are  su- 
perficial and  result  in  disappointment  later  in  life.  The  occu- 
pations of  men  sometimes  call  them  from  their  homes ;  but 
the  thought  of  home-coming  is  always  an  inspiration  to 
well  doing  and  devotion.  When  women  abandon  the  home 
and  its  duties,  the  case  is  a  more  deplorable  one.  The  evil 
effects  are  not  confined  to  the  mother  alone.  The  children 
are  robbed  of  a  sacred  right,  and  their  love  is  bereft  of  its 
rallying  place  around  the  hearthstone.  The  strongest  attach- 
ments of  childhood  are  those  that  cluster  ab^ut  the  home, 
and  the  dearest  memories  of  old  age  are  those  that  call  up 
the  associations  of  youth  and  its  happy  surroundings. 

The  disposition  among  the  Saints  to  be  moving  about 
ought  to  be  discouraged.  If  communities  must  swarm  let  the 
young  go,  and  let  the  old  homes  be  transmitted  from  gen- 
eration to  generation,  and  let  the  home  be  erected  with  the 
thought  that  it  is  to  be  a  family  abiding  place  from  one 
generation  to  another,  that  it  is  to  be  a  monument  to  its 
founder  and  an  inheritance  of  all  that  is  sacred  and  dear  in 
home  life.  Let  it  be  the  Mecca  to  which  an  ever-increasing 
posterity  may  make  its  pilgrimage.  The  home,  a  stable  and 
pure  home,  is  the  highest  guaranty  of  social  stability  and 
permanence  in  government. 

A  Latter-day  Saint  who  has  no  ambition  to  establish  a 
home  and  give  it  permanency  has  not  a  full  conception  of 
a  sacred  duty  the  gospel  imposes  upon  him  It  may  be 
necessary  at  times  to  change  our  abode ;  but  a  change 
should  never  be  made  for  light  or  trivial  reasons,  nor  to  sat- 
isfy a  restless  spirit.  Whenever  homes  are  built  the  thought 
of  permanency  should  always  be  present.  Many  of  the 
Saints  live  in  parts  of  the  country  that  are  less  productive 
than  others,  that  possess  few  natural  attractions,  yet  they 
cherish  their  homes  and  their  surroundings,and'the  more  sub- 
stantial men  and  women  of  such  communities  are  the  last 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    377 

to  abandon  them.  There  is  no  substitute  in  wealth  or  in 
ambition  for  the  home.  Its  influence  is  a  prime  necessity 
for  man's  happiness  and  well-being. — Juvenile  Instructor, 
Vol.  38,  pp.  145,  146,  March  1,  1903. 

WORSHIP  IN  THE  HOME.  We  have  in  the  gospel  the 
truth.  If  that  is  .the  case,  and  I  bear  my  tesvimony  that  so 
it  is,  then  it  is  worth  our  every  effort  to  understand  the 
truth,  each  for  himself,  and  to  impart  it  in  spirit  and  prac- 
tice to  our  children.  Far  too  many  risk  their  children's  spir- 
itual guidance  to  chance,  or  to  others  rather  than  to  them- 
selves, and  think  that  organizations  suffice  for  religious  train- 
ing. Our  temporal  bodies  would  soon  become  emaciated,  if 
we  fed  them  only  once  a  week,  or  twice,  as  some  of  us  are 
in  the  habit  of  feeding  our  spiritual  and  religious  bodies. 
Our  material  concerns  would  be  less  thriving,  if  we  looked 
after  them  only  two  hours  a  week,  as  some  people  seem  to 
do  with  their  spiritual  affairs,  especially  if  we  in  addition 
contented  ourselves,  as  some  do  in  religious  matters,  to  let 
others  look  after  them. 

No;  on  the  other  hand,  this  should  be  done  every  day, 
and  in  the  home,  by  precept,  teaching  and  example.  Breth- 
ren, there  is  too  little  religious  devotion,  love  and  fear  of 
God,  in  the  home ;  too  much  worldiness,  selfishness,  indiffer- 
ence, and  lack  of  reverence  in  the  family,  or  these  never  would 
exist  so  abundantly  on  the  outside.  Then,  the  home  is  what 
needs  reforming.  Try  today,  and  tomorrow,  to  make  a 
change  in  your  home  by  praying  twice  a  day  with  your 
family;  call  on  your  children  and  your  wife  to  pray  with 
you.  Ask  a  blessing  upon  every  meal  you  eat.  Spend  ten 
minutes  in  reading  a  chapter  from  the  words  of  the  Lord 
in  the  Bible,  the  Book  of  Mormon,  the  Doctrine  and  Cove- 
nants, before  you  retire,  or  before  you  go  to  your  daily  toil. 
Feed  your  spiritual  selves  at  home,  as  well  as  in  public 
places.  Let  love,  and  peace,  and  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord, 
kindness,  charity,  sacrifice  for  others,  abound  in  your  fam- 


378  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

ilies.  Banish  harsh  words,  envyings,  hatreds,  evil  speaking; 
obscene  language  and  innuendo,  blasphemy,  and  let  the 
Spirit  of  God  take  possession  of  your  hearts.  Teach  to  your 
children  these  things,  in  spirit  and  power,  sustained  and 
strengthened  by  personal  practice.  Let  them  see  that  you 
are  earnest,  and  practice  what  you  preach.  Do  not  let  your 
children  out  to  specialists  in  these  things,  but  teach  them  by 
your  own  precept  and  example,  by  your  own  fireside.  Be  a 
specialist  yourself  in  the  truth.  Let  our  meetings,  schools 
and  organizations,  instead  of  being  our  only  or  leading 
teachers,  be  supplements  to  our  teachings  and  training  in 
the  home.  Not  one  child  in  a  hundred  would  go  astray,  if 
the  home  environment,  example  and  training,  were  in  har- 
mony with  the  truth  in  the  gospel  of  Christ,  as  revealed  and 
taught  to  the  Latter-day  Saints.  Fathers  and  mothers,  you 
are  largely  to  blame  for  the  infidelity  and  indifference  of 
your  children.  You  can  remedy  the  evil  by  earnest  worship, 
example,  training  and  discipline,  in  the  home. — Improve- 
ment Era,  Vol.  7,  Dec.,  1904,  p.  135. 

THE  BASIS  OF  A  TRUE  HOME.  A  home  is  not  a  home 
in  the  eye  of  the  gospel,  unless  there  dwell  perfect  confidence 
and  love  between  the  husband  and  the  wife.  Home  is  a  place 
of  order,  love,  union,  rest,  confidence  and  absolute  trust; 
where  the  breath  of  suspicion  of  infidelity  can  not  enter ; 
where  the  woman  and  the  man  each  have  implicit  confidence 
in  each  other's  honor  and  virtue. — Second  Sunday  School 
Convention. 

THE  IDEAL  HOME.  What  then  is  an  ideal  home — a 
model  home  such  as  it  should  be  the  ambition  of  the  Latter- 
day  Saints  to  build ;  such  as  a  young  man  starting  out  in 
life  should  wish  to  erect  for  himself?  And  the  answer  came 
to  me:  It  is  one  in  which  all  worldly  considerations  are 
secondary.  One  in  which  the  father  is  devoted  to  the  family 
with  which  God  has  blessed  him,  counting  them  of  first  im- 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    379 

portance,  and  in  which  they  in  turn  permit  him  to  live  in 
their  hearts.  One  in  which  there  is  confidence,  union,  love, 
sacred  devotion  between  father  and  mother,  and  children 
and  parents.  One  in  which  the  mother  takes  every  pleasure 
in  her  children,  supported  by  the  father — all  being  moral, 
pure,  God-fearing.  As  the  tree  is  judged  by  its  fruit,  so 
also  do  we  judge  the  home  by  the  children.  In  the  ideal 
home  true  parents  rear  loving,  thoughtful  children,  loyal  to 
the  death,  to  father  and  mother  and  home !  In  it  there  is  the 
religious  spirit,  for  both  parents  and  children  have  faith  in 
God,  and  their  practices  are  in  conformity  with  that  faith ;  the 
members  are  free  from  the  vices  and  contaminations  of  the 
world,  are  pure  in  morals,  having  upright  hearts  beyond 
bribes  and  temptations,  ranging  high  in  the  exalted  standards 
of  manhood  and  womanhood.  Peace,  order,  and  contentment 
reign  in  the  hearts  of  the  inmates — let  them  be  rich  or  poor, 
in  things  material.  There  are  no  vain  regrets ;  no  expres- 
sions of  discontent  against  father,  from  the  boys  and  girls,  in 
which  they  complain :  "If  we  only  had  this  or  that,  or  were 
like  this  family  or  that,  or  could  do  like  so  and  so !" — com- 
plaints that  have  caused  fathers  many  uncertain  steps,  dim 
eyes,  restless  nights,  and  untold  anxiety.  In  their  place  is 
the  loving  thoughtfulness  to  mother  and  father  by  which  the 
boys  and  girls  work  with  a  will  and  a  determination  to 
carry  some  of  the  burden  that  the  parents  have  staggered 
under  these  many  years.  There  is  the  kiss  for  mother,  the 
caress  for  father,  the  thought  that  they  have  sacrificed  their  r 
own  hopes  and  ambitions,  their  strength,  even  life  itself  to 
their  children — there  is  gratitude  in  payment  for  all  that  has 
been  given  them ! 

In  the  ideal  home  the  soul  is  not  starved,  neither  are  the 
growth  and  expansion  of  the  finer  sentiments  paralyzed  for 
the  coarse  and  sensual  pleasures.  The  main  aim  is  not  to 
heap  up  material  wealth,  which  generally  draws  further  and 
further  from  the  true,  the  ideal,  the  spiritual  life ;  but  it  is 


380  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

rather  to  create  soul-wealth,  consciousness  of  noble  achieve- 
ment, an  outflow  of  love  and  helpfulness. 

It  is  not  costly  paintings,  tapestries,  priceless  bric-a-brac, 
various  ornaments,  costly  furniture,  fields,  herds,  houses 
and  lands,  which  constitute  the  ideal  home,  nor  yet  the 
social  enjoyments  and  ease  so  tenaciously  sought  by  many; 
but  it  is  rather  beauty  of  soul,  cultivated,  loving,  faithful, 
true  spirits ;  hands  that  help  and  hearts  that  sympathize ;  love 
that  seeks  not  its  own,  thoughts  and  acts  that  touch  our  lives 
to  finer  issues — these  lie  at  the  foundation  of  the  ideal 
home.— Improvement  Era,  Vol.  8,  1904-05,  pp.  385-388. 

FOUNDATION  OF  ALL  GOOD  IN  HOME.  The  very  founda- 
tion of  the  kingdom  of  God,  of  righteousness,  of  progress, 
of  development,  of  eternal  life  and  eternal  increase  in  the 
kingdom  of  God,  is  laid  in  the  divinely  ordained  home ;  and 
there  should  be  no  difficulty  in  holding  in  the  highest  rev- 
erence and  exalted  thought,  the  home,  if  it  can  be  built  upon 
the  principles  of  purity,  of  true  affection,  of  righteousness 
and  justice.  The  man  and  his  wife  who  have  perfect  con- 
fidence in  each  other,  and  who  determine  to  follow  the  laws 
of  God  in  their  lives  and  fulfil  the  measure  of  their  mission 
in  the  earth,  would  not  be,  and  could  never  be,  contented 
without  the  home.  Their  hearts,  their  feelings,  their  minds, 
their  desires  would  naturally  trend  towards  the  building  of 
a  home  and  family  and  of  a  kingdom  of  their  own;  to  the 
laying  of  the  foundation  of  eternal  increase  and  power, 
glory,  exaltation  and  dominion,  worlds  without  end. — Juve- 
nile Instructor,  Vol.  51,  p.  739. 

SECURE  HOMES.  In  my  judgment  it  would  be  prudent 
and  wisdom  for  the  young  people  to  secure  lands  near  the 
homes  of  their  parents  and  near  the  body  of  the  Church, 
where  they  can  have  the  advantage  of  Sunday  schools  and 
the  gatherings  of  the  Saints,  and  in  so  doing  they  will  be 
building  for  themselves  instead  of  permitting  the  stranger 
to  come  in  and  take  the  lands — strangers  with  whom  in  many 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    381 

instances  we  could  not  affiliate.  We  all  know  there  are 
classes  who  come  in  here  who  up  to  date  have  not  proved 
desirable  neighbors  to  affiliate  with,  and  it  is  just  as  well 
for  our  own  young  people  to  stay  in  the  land  of  their  birth 
and  build  them  homes.  I  will  say  that  we  do  not  approve  of 
the  disposition  of  some  to  go  afar  off  where  life,  property 
and  liberty  are  not  safe.  We  wish  them  to  remain-  together, 
so  that  if  it  is  necessary  or  desirable  that  the  Saints  should 
colonize,  they  might  do  it  in  order. 

I  do  not  want  to  be  understood  as  saying  or  thinking 
that  one  little  state  is  big  enough  to  contain  all  the  young 
people,  and  I  think  it  is  wisdom  and  necessary  for  the  Lat- 
ter-day Saints  to  take  every  advantage  in  this  respect  that  is 
possible.  I  think  our  young  people  should  get  homes  in 
Utah,  Idaho,  Wyoming  and  Colorado — in  our  own  state  and 
in  adjoining  states — in  blessed  America,  under  this  grand 
and  glorious  government  where  life  and  property,  and  the 
liberties  of  men  are  safe  and  protected,  where  mob  violence 
and  revolutionary  spirit  do  not  s'talk  forth  as  in  some  coun- 
tries of  the  world. 

Another  thing.  In  the  old  times  an  effort  was  made 
to  co-operate  and  combine  together  and  establish  home  in- 
dustries for  the  production  of  the  things  that  were  needful 
for  consumption  of  the  people  and  to  produce  a  revenue  as 
well.  Today  we  have  allowed  the  home  industry  spirit  to 
perish  almost  from  amongst  us,  and  we  do  not  witness  the 
same  loyalty  among  the  people  to  those  things  which  are  pro- 
duced at  home  that  there  should  be.  There  are  too  many  peo- 
ple who  would  rather  patronize  some  "cheap  John"  and  buy 
shoddy  goods,  just  because  they  can  get  them  a  few  pence 
cheaper,  than  to  sustain  home  industry,  and  get  all  wool  and 
a  yard  wide.  We  should  not  encourage  foreign  capital  to 
the  exclusion  of  our  own,  and  patronize  foreign  labor  against 
our  own,  but  we  should  build  up  our  home  institutions. — 
From  a  Sermon,  given  in  Logan,  April  7,  1910. 


382  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

OWN  YOUR  HOMES.  It  was  early  the  rule  among  the 
Latter-day  Saints  to  have  the  lands  so  divided  that  every 
family  could  have  a  spot  of  ground  which  could  be  called 
theirs ;  and  it  has  been  the  proud  boast  of  this  people  that 
among  them  were  more  home  owners  than  among  any  other 
people  of  like  numbers.  This  condition  had  a  good  tendency, 
and  whatever  men  said  of  us,  the  home  among  this  people 
was  a  first  consideration.  It  is  this  love  of  home  that  has 
made  the  Saints  famous  as  colonizers,  builders  of  settle- 
ments, and  redeemers  of  the  deserts.  But  in  the  cities  there 
appears  now  to  be  coming  into  vogue  the  idea  that  renting 
is  the  thing.  Of  course,  it  may  be  necessary  as  a  temporary 
makeshift,  but  no  young  couple  should  ever  settle  down  with 
the  idea  that  such  a  condition,  as  far  as  they  are  concerned, 
shall  be  permanent.  Every  young  man  should  have  an  am- 
bition to  possess  his  own  home.  It  is  better  for  him,  for 
his  family,  for  society,  for  the  state,  and  for  the  Church. 
Nothing  so  engenders  stability,  strength,  power,  patriotism, 
fidelity  to  country  and  to  God,  as  the  owning  of  a  home — a 
spot  of  earth  that  you  and  your  children  can  call  yours.  And, 
besides,  there  are  so  many  tender  virtues  that  grow  with 
such  ownership  that  the  government  of  a  family  is  made 
doubly  easy  thereby. 

Let  us  continue,  as  a  people,  to  be  unlike  the  world  in. 
this  regard.  I  hope  the  Saints  will  ever  be  a  home-owning 
people,  and  never  become  roamers,  roomers  and  renters.  We 
should  no  more  follow  the  prevailing  notions  in  this  than 
in  some  other  things.  The  people  of  Zion  have  a  higher 
destiny  than  being  led  by  the  nose,  as  it  were,  by  the  pre- 
vailing whims.  We  do  not  purpose  being  led  by  evil  tenden- 
cies, but  rather  glory  in  being  leaders  ourselves  in  all  that 
makes  for  the  welfare  and  happiness  of  the  home,  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  Church,  the  prosperity  of  the  state.— 
Improvement  Era,  Aug.,  1904,  Vol.  7,  p.  796. 

Do  NOT  MORTGAGE  YOUR  HOMES.     Whenever  a  panic 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    383 

comes,  or  there  is  severe  financial  depression  because  of 
monetary  conditions,  the  people  have  before  them  a  painful 
object  lesson  on  the  evils  of  mortgaging,  especially  of  their 
homes  and  places  of  business. 

Men  owe  it  to  their  wives  and  children  to  be  prudent 
and  conservative  when  business  considerations  touch  the 
home,  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  they  really  have  a  moral 
right  to  expose  helpless  wives  and  children  to  the  mercies 
of  the  money  lender.  The  evils  are  too  abundantly  manifest 
to  permit  of  mortgaging  homes  that  should  be  sacred  to  the 
needs  of  those  who  are  dependent  upon  them. 

The  Latter-day  Saints  have  often  been  warned  and  are 
now  earnestly  admonished  not  to  hazard  their  homes,  and 
with  them  their  wives  and  children,  upon  the  altar  of  finan- 
cial speculation. 

What  was  taught  in  the  early  days  of  our  history  in 
this  intermountam  region  is  equally  true  today,  and  it  is  the 
duty  of  every  Latter-day  Saint,  so  far  as  it  is  possible,  to 
own  his  home,  to  possess  an  earthly  inheritance.  It  has  been 
our  pride  that  among  the  people  of  all  the  world  nowhere 
can  a  greater  percentage  be  found  of  those  who  have  title 
to  the  homes  in  which  they  live.  Instead  of  declining  year 
by  year  in  the  total  number  of  homes  owned  by  the  Latter- 
day  Saints  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  other  large  cities,  there 
should  be  an  increase.  The  matter  of  the  Saints  possessing 
title  to  their  homes  is  something  more  than  a  question  of 
whether  it  pays  best  to  rent  or  to  own.  It  is  a  question  of 
vital  importance  to  our  future  position  and  relative  strength 
in  a  land  to  which  by  every  rule  of  equity  and  prudence  we 
are  entitled.  There  is  a  virtue  and  an  assurance  and  a  cer- 
tainty in  the  ownership  of  one's  home  that  are  never  felt 
by  those  who  are  shifting  from  place  to  place  without  any 
landed  possession.  The  influence  upon  child  life  that  comes 
from  the  possession  and  ownership  of  the  family  home  is  of 
itself  a  sufficient  reason  to  guard  it  against  the  repeated  evils 


384  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

of  mortgaging.  The  Latter-day  Saints  owe  it  to  themselves 
and  they  owe  it  to  their  God  to  be  steadfast  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  lands  to  which  they  hold  titles,  either  by  purchase 
or  settlement.  The  evil  of  mortgaging  homes  to  eastern 
firms,  to  men  and  companies  who  have  no  other  motive  than 
to  secure  their  pound  of  flesh,  is  growing  among  the  people, 
and  especially  among  those  in  the  larger  cities.  Against  such 
evils  the  people  have  in  the  past  been  abundantly  warned. 
If  necessity  compels  the  husband  to  place  a  mortgage  upon 
the  home,  let  it  come,  if  possible,  through  a  friend  and  not 
through  those  who  may  be  the  enemies  of  the  people.  If 
the  Latter-day  Saints  will  give  heed  to  the  prudent  admoni- 
tions and  lessons  of  the  past,  they  will  hesitate  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  alluring  temptations  which  are  now  everywhere 
held  out,  to  mortgage  their  homes,  their  places  of  business, 
the  canals,  and  the  farms,  for  the  means  with  which  to 
speculate  and  grow  rich.  It  is  to  be  hoped,  therefore,  that 
where  the  Saints  have  mortgages  upon  their  homes  they  will 
be  persistent  in  their  endeavors  to  remove  them,  and  they 
are  advised  to  keep  intact  and  beyond  menace  the  titles  to 
their  lands. 

The  admonitions  here  given  are  directed  especially  to 
those  disposed  to  mortgage  for  the  purpose  of  speculation, 
and  not  to  those  who  may  find  it  necessary  through  building 
societies  or  otherwise  to  secure  homes  by  monthly  or  other 
periodical  payments.  The  latter  practice  may  lead  to  eco- 
nomic habits,  while  speculations  too  frequently  create  a  spirit 
of  extravagance. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  36,  pp.  722-723. 

EVILS  OF  MORTGAGING.  What  a  -blessed  condition  would 
result  in  Zion  if  the  evil  of  going  into  debt,  of  mortgaging 
the  home,  could  be  made  very  clear  to  every  Latter-day  Saint, 
young  and  old !  Well,  indeed,  would  it  be  if  some  of  the 
burdens  of  the  mortgage  and.  its  accompanying  sorrows, 
could  be  felt  and  understood  by  every  man  who  has  in  con- 
templation the  pawning  of  his  home  and  land  for  money — 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    385 

that  he  might  comprehend  its  slavery  and  terror — as  thor- 
oughly prior  to  the  deed  as  he  is  sure  to  feel  it  after.  In 
that  event,  he  might  be  warned  in  time  to  avoid  the  fatal 
step,  and  awake  as  from  a  horrid  dream  to  rejoice  in  his 
deliverance.  With  few  exceptions  mortgages  on  private  prop- 
erty end  in  disaster  to  the  giver.  *  *  *  What  should  we 
think  of  men  who  would  jeopardize  the  position  and  place 
of  the  people  of  Zion !  The  land  of  Zion  is  an  inheritance, 
and  every  man  who  mortgages  his  part  of  that  inheritance 
places  in  jeopardy  the  land.  Thus  not  only  disinheriting 
himself,  but  committing  a  crime  against  the  whole  commu- 
nity and  the  intelligence  and  wisdom  that  should  charac- 
terize every  true  Latter-day  Saint.  The  result  of  such  action 
is  appalling,  and  its  contemplation  something  fearful  to 
every  lover  of  the  people  of  God,  the  more  so  when  one  pos- 
sesses a  knowledge  of  how  widespread  is  the  evil. 

Mortgaging,  then,  looked  upon  in  its  true  light,  is  not 
only  a  private  burden  and  detriment,  in  which  a  man's  fam- 
ily is  thrown  out  of  house  and  home,  and  his  own  abilities, 
happiness  and  talents  are  destroyed  or  sadly  diminished, 
but  it  is  positively  a  public  crime,  in  a  community  like  ours. 
Disposing  of  inheritances  in  Zion  partakes  of  the  nature  of 
such  action  as  individuals  pulling  up  and  selling  for  money 
the  gold  bricks  from  the  streets  of  the  Celestial  City.  It  is 
intolerable,  when  looked  upon  in  the  right  light !  The  old 
proverb :  "Who  goes  a  borrowing  goes  a  sorrowing,"  and 
"Lying  rides  on  debt's  back,"  should  appeal  directly  to  every 
man  who  contemplates  mortgaging.  But  if  personal  appeal 
is  not  strong  enough,  let  him  remember  that  his  home  or 
farm  is  likely  to  go  for  half  its  value  to  satisfy  his  debt,  and 
that  his  family  who  depend  upon  him  will  be  left  without 
adequate  shelter  and  support.  But  if  neither  reason  is  strong 
enough  to  hold  him  back,  let  him  remember  Zion  and  his 
inheritance  therein,  and  let  her  cause  cry  aloud  to  him  to 
bring  him  to  a  realizing  sense  of  the  triple  crime  that  he  is 

26 


386  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

about  to  commit,  in  order  that  his  hand  may  be  stayed,  and 
he  saved  the  humiliation,  worry,  anxiety  and  sorrow  that 
must  inevitably  overtake  him,  unless  he  repent. — Improve- 
ment Era,  Dec.,  1901,  Vol.  5,  pp.  147. 

OUR  FIRST  DUTY  TO  OUR  HOUSEHOLD.  I  want  to  tell 
you  that  we  will  be  honest  with  you ;  we  feel  that  it  is  the 
first  duty  of  Latter-day  Saints  to  take  care  of  themselves  and 
of  their  poor;  and  then,  if  we  can  extend  it  to  others,  and 
as  wide  and  as  far  as  we  can  extend  charity  and  assistance 
to  others  that  are  not  members  of  the  Church,  we  feel  that 
it  is  our  duty  to  do  it.  But  first  look  after  the  members  of 
our  own  household.  The  man  who  will  not  provide  for 
his  own  house,  as  one  of  old  has  said,  is  worse  than  an 
infidel.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1915,  p.  10. 

UNCHASTITY,  A  DOMINANT  EVIL.  The  character  of  a 
community  or  a  nation  is  the  sum  of  the  individual  qualities 
of  its  component  members.  To  say  so  is  to  voice  at  once  an 
ordinary  platitude  and  an  axiom  of  profound  import.  The 
stability  of  a  material  structure  depends  upon  the  integrity 
of  its  several  parts  and  the  maintenance  of  a  proper  correla- 
tion of  the  units  in  harmony  with  the  laws  of  forces.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  institutions,  systems,  and  organizations 
in  general. 

Not  alone  is  it  fundamentally  proper  and  in  strict  ac- 
cord with  both  the  spirit  and  the  letter  of  the  Divine  Word, 
but  absolutely  essential  to  the  stability  of  the  social  order 
that  the  marriage  relation  shall  be  defined  and  regulated 
by  secular  law.  Parties  to  the  marriage  contract  must  be 
definitely  invested  writh  the  responsibilities  of^the  status  they 
assume;  and  for  fidelity  to  their  obligations  they  are  an- 
swerable to  each  other,  to  society,  and  to  their  God. 

Sexual  union  is  lawful  in  wedlock,  and  if  participated 
in  with  right  intent  is  honorable  and  sanctifying.  But  with- 
out the  bonds  of  marriage,  sexual  indulgence  is  a  debasing 
sin,  abominable  in  the  sight  of  Deity. 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    387 

Infidelity  to  marriage  vows  is  a  fruitful  source  of  di- 
vorce, with  its  long  train  of  attendant  evils,  not  the  least  of 
which  are  the  shame  and  dishonor  inflicted  on  unfortunate 
though  innocent  children.  The  dreadful  effects  of  adultery 
cannot  be  confined  to  the  erring  participants.  Whether 
openly  known  or  partly  concealed  under  the  cloak  of  guilty 
secrecy,  the  results  are  potent  in  evil  influence.  The  im- 
mortal spirits  that  come  to  earth  to  tabernacle  in  bodies  of 
flesh  have  the  right  to  be  well  born,  through  parents  who  are 
•free  from  the  contamination  of  sexual  vice. 

It  is  a  deplorable  fact  that  society  persists  in  holding 
women  to  stricter  account  than  men  in  the  matter  of  sexual 
offense.  What  shadow  of  excuse,  not  to  speak  of  justifica- 
tion, can  be  found  for  this  outrageous  and  cowardly  discrim- 
ination? Can  moral  defilement  be  any  the  less  filthy  and 
pestilential  in  man  than  in  women?  Is  a  male  leper  less  to 
be  shunned  for  fear  of  contagion  than  a  woman  similarly 
stricken  ? 

So  far  as  woman  sins  it  is  inevitable  that  she  shall  suf- 
fer, for  retribution  is  sure,  whether  it  be  immediate  or  de- 
ferred. But  in  so  far  as  man's  injustice  inflicts  upon  her 
the  consequence  of  his  offenses,  he  stands  convicted  of 
multiple  guilt.  And  man  is  largely  responsible  for  the  sins 
against  decency  and  virtue,  the  burden  of  which  is  too  often 
fastened  upon  the  weaker  participant  in  the  prime.  The 
frightful  prevalence  of  prostitution,  and  the  tolerance  and 
even  condonation  with  which  the  foul  traffic  is  treated  by  so- 
called  civilized  society,  are  black  blots  on  the  pages  of  cur- 
rent history.  *  *  * 

Like  many  bodily  diseases,  sexual  crime  drags  with  it- 
self a  train  of  other  ills.  As  the  physical  effects  of  drunk- 
enness entail  the  deterioration  of  tissue,  and  disturbance  of 
vital  functions,  and  so  render  the  body  receptive  to  any  dis- 
temper to  which  it  may  be  exposed,  and  at  the  same  time 
lower  the  powers  of  resistance  even  to  fatal  deficiency,  so 


388  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

does  unchastity  expose  the  soul  to  divers  spiritual  maladies, 
and  rob  it  of  both  resistance  and  recuperative  ability.  The 
adulterous  generation  of  Christ's  day  were  deaf  to  the  voice 
of  truth,  and  through  their  diseased  state  of  mind  and 
heart,  sought  after  signs  and  preferred  empty  fable  to  the 
message  of  salvation. 

We  accept  without  reservation  or  qualification  the  af- 
firmation  of  Deity,   through  an   ancient  Nephite  prophet : 
"For  I,  the  Lord  God,  delight  in  the  chastity  of  women. 
And  whoredoms  are  an  abomination  before  me ;  thus  saith « 
the  Lord  of  Hosts."     (Jacob  2:28.) 

We  hold  that  sexual  sin  is  second  only  to  the  shedding 
of  innocent  blood  in  the  category  of  personal  crimes ;  and 
that  the  adulterer  shall  have  no  part  in  the  exaltation  of  the 
blessed. 

We  proclaim  as  the  word  of  the  Lord : 

"Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery:" 

"He  that  looketh  on  a  woman  to  lust  after  her,  or  if  any 
shall  commit  adultery  in  their  hearts,  they  shall  not  have 
the  Spirit,  but  shall  deny  the  faith." — Improvement  Era, 
June,  1918,  Vol.  20,  p.  738;  Doc.  and  Cov.  63:16. 

DEGREES  OF  SEXUAL  SIN.  There  are  said  to  be  more 
shades  of  green  than  of  any  other  color,  so  also  we  are  of 
the  opinion  there  are  more  grades  or  degrees  of  sin  associ- 
ated with  the  improper  relationship  of  the  sexes  than  of  any 
other  wrong  doing  of  which  we  have  knowledge.  They  all 
involve  a  grave  offense — the  sin  against  chastity,  but  in  nu- 
merous instances  this  sin  is  intensified  by  the  breaking  of 
sacred  covenants,  to  which  is  sometimes  added  deceit,  intim- 
idation or  actual  violence. 

Much  as  all  these  sins  are  to  be  denounced  and  de- 
plored, we  can  ourselves  see  a  difference  both  in  intent  and 
consequence  between  the  offense  of  a  young  couple  who, 
being  betrothed,  in  an  unguarded  moment,  without  premed- 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    389 

itation  fall  into  sin,  and  that  of  the  man,  who,  having  entered 
into  holy  places  and  made  sacred  covenants,  plots  to  rob  the 
wife  of  his  neighbor  of  her  virtue  either  by  cunning  or  force, 
and  accomplishes  his  vile  intent. 

Not  only  is  there  a  difference  in  these  wrongs,  judging 
from  the  standpoint  of  intent,  but  also  from  that  of  the  con- 
sequences. In  the  first  instance  the  young  couple  who  have 
transgressed  can  make  partial  amends  by  sincere  repentance 
and  by  marrying.  One  reparation,  however,  they  cannot 
make.  They  cannot  restore  the  respect  that  they  previously 
held  for  each  other ;  and  too  often  as  a  consequence  of  this 
loss  of  confidence  their  married  life  is  clouded  or  embittered 
by  the  fear  that  each  has  for  the  other,  having  once  sinned, 
may  do  so  again.  In  the  other  case,  others  are  most  disas- 
trously involved,  families  are  broken  up,  misery  is  forced 
upon  innocent  parties,  society  is  affected,  doubt  is  thrown 
upon  the  paternity  of  children,  and  from  the  standpoint  of 
gospel  ordinances,  the  question  of  descent  is  clouded  and 
pedigrees  become  worthless;  altogether,  wrongs  are  com- 
mitted both  to  the  living  and  the  dead,  as  well  as  to  the  yet 
unborn,  which  it  is  out  of  the  power  of  the  offenders  to  re- 
pair or  make  right. 

Sometimes  an  argument  is  advanced  to  limit  the  pro- 
visions of  the  law  of  God,  as  given  in  the  Book  of  Doctrine 
and  Covenants,  both  with  regard  to  punishment  and  to  for- 
giveness to  those  who  have  entered  the  House  of  the  Lord 
and  received  their  endowments.  This  is  not  possible,  as  so 
many  of  these  provisions  were  given  in  revelations  published 
several  years  before  the  Saints  were  permitted  to  receive 
these  holy  ordinances,  indeed,  before  any  temple  was  built. 
The  law  as  given,  we  believe  to  be  general,  appyling  to  all 
the  Saints.  But  undoubtedly  when,  in  addition  to  the  actual 
offense  against  the  laws  of  chastity,  covenants  are  broken, 
then  the  punishment  for  the  double  offense  will,  either  in  this 
life  or  that  which  is  to  come,  be  correspondingly  greater 


390  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

and  more  severe. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Nov.  15,  1902,  Vol. 
37,  p.  688. 

PURITY.  There  is  something  in  man,  an  essential  part 
of  his  mind,  which  recalls  the  events  of  the  past,  and  the 
words  that  we  have  spoken  on  various  occasions.  Words 
which  we  spoke  in  our  childhood  \ve  can  readily  bring  to 
mind.  Words  that  we  heard  others  speak  in  our  infancy,  we 
can  recall,  though  we  may  be  advanced  in  years.  We  recall 
words  that  were  spoken  in  our  youth  and  in  our  early  man- 
hood, as  well  as  words  that  were  spoken  yesterday.  May  I 
say  to  you  that  in  reality  a  man  cannot  forget  anything  ?  He 
may  have  a  lapse  of  memory ;  he  may  not  be  able  to  recall 
at  the  moment  a  thing  that  he  knows,  or  words  that  he  has 
spoken ;  he  may  not  have  the  power  at  his  will  to  call  up 
these  events  and  words ;  but  let  God  Almighty  touch  the 
mainspring  of  the  memory,  and  awaken  recollection,  and  you 
will  find  then  that  you  have  not  even  forgotten  a  single  idle 
word  that  you  have  spoken.  I  believe  the  word  of  God  to  be 
true,  and  therefore,  I  warn  the  youth  of  Zion,  as  well  as 
those  who  are  advanced  in  years,  to  beware  of  saying- 
wicked  things,  of  speaking  evil,  and  taking  in  vain  the 
name  of  sacred  things  and  sacred  beings.  Guard  your  words, 
that  you  may  not  offend  even  man,  much  less  offend  God. 

We  believe  that  God  lives,  and  that  he  is  judge  of  the 
quick  and  the  dead.  We  believe  that  his  eye  is  upon  the 
world,  and  that  he  beholds  his  groveling,  erring  and  weak 
children  upon  this  earth.  We  believe  that  we  are  here  by 
his  design,  and  not  by  choice ;  that  we  are  here  to  fulfil  a 
destiny,  and  not  to  fulfil  a  whim,  or  for  the  gratification  of 
mortal  lusts.  We  believe  that  we  are  immortal  beings.  We 
believe  in  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  that  as  Jesus 
came  forth  from  the  grave  to  everlasting  life,  his  Spirit  and 
body  uniting  again  never  more  to.  be  separated,  so  has  he 
opened  the  way  for  every  son  and  daughter  of  Adam, 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY 

whether  living  or  dead,  to  come  forth  from  the  grave  to  a 
newness  of  life,  to  become  immortal  souls,  body  and  spirit, 
united,  never  to  be  severed  any  more.  We  raise  our  voices 
against  prostitution,  and  against  all  forms  of  immorality. 
We  are  not  here  to  practice  immorality  of  any  kind.  Above 
all  things,  sexual  immorality  is  most  heinous  in  the  sight  of 
God.  It  is  on  a  par  with  murder  itself,  and  God  Almighty 
fixed  the  penalty  of  the  murderer  at  death:  "Whoso  shed- 
cleth  man's  blood,  by  man  shall  his  blood  be  shed."  Further- 
more, he  said  that  whosoever  committed  adultery  should  be 
put  to  death.  Therefore,  we  raise  our  voices  against  sexual 
immorality,  and  against  all  manner  of  obscenity. 

Then,  we  say  to  you  who  have  repented  of  your  sins, 
who  have  been  buried  with  Christ  in  baptism,  who  have  been 
raised  from  the  liquid  grave  to  newness  of  life,  born  of  rhe 
water  and  of  the  Spirit,  and  who  have  been  made  the  chil- 
dren of  the  Father,  heirs  of  God  and  joint  heirs  with  Jesus 
Christ — we  say  to  you,  if  you  will  observe  the  laws  of  God, 
and  cease  to  do  evil,  cease  to  be  obscene,  cease  to  be  immoral, 
sexually  or  otherwise,  cease  to  be  profane,  cease  to  be  infidel, 
and  have  faith  in  God,  believe  in  the  truth  and  receive  it,  and 
be  honest  before  God  and  man,  that  you  will  be  set  up  on 
high,  and  God  will  put  you  at  the  head,  just  as  sure  as  you 
observe  these  commandments.  Whosoever  will  keep  the 
commandments  of  God,  no  matter  whether  it  be  you  or  any 
other  people,  they  will  rise  and  not  fall,  they  will  lead  and 
not  follow,  they  will  go  upward  and  not  downward.  God  will 
exalt  them  and  magnify  them  before  the  nations  of  the  earth, 
and  he  will  set  the  seal  of  his  approval  upon  them,  will  name 
them  as  his  own.  This  is  my  testimony  to  you. — Improve- 
ment Era,  Vol.  6,  p.  501,  May,  1903. 

THREE  THREATENING  DANGERS.  There  are  at  least 
three  dangers  that  threaten  the  Church  within,  and  the  au- 
thorities need  to  awaken  to  the  fact  that  the  people  should 


392  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

be  warned  unceasingly  against  them.  As  I  see  these,  they 
are  the  flattery  of  prominent  men  in  the  world,  false  edu- 
cational ideas,  and  sexual  impurity. 

But  the  third  subject  mentioned — personal  purity,  is 
perhaps  of  greater  importance  than  either  of  the  other  two. 
\Ye  believe  in  one  standard  of  morality  for  men  and  women. 
If  purity  of  life  is  neglected,  all  other  dangers  set  in  upon 
us  like  the  rivers  of  waters  when  the  flood  gates  are  opened. 
—Improrcincnt  Era,  Vol.  17,  No.  5,  p.  476.  March,  1914. 

THE  GOSPEL  THE  GREATEST  THING.  One  of  the  most 
important  duties  devolving  upon  the  Latter-day  Saints  is  the 
proper  training  and  rearing  of  their  children  in  the  faith  of 
the  gospel.  The  gospel  is  the  greatest  thing  in  all  the  world. 
There  is  nothing  to  compare  with  it.  The  possessions  of  this 
earth  are  of  no  consequence  when  compared  with  the  bless- 
ings of  the  gospel.  Naked  we  came  into  the  world,  arid 
naked  we  will  go  out  of  the  world,  so  far  as  earthly  things 
are  concerned ;  for  we  must  leave  them  behind ;  but  the 
eternal  possessions  which  are  ours  through  obedience  to  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  do  not  perish — the  ties  that  God  has 
created  between  me  and  those  whom  he  has  given  to  me, 
and  the  divine  authority  which  I  enjoy  through  the  holy 
priesthood,  these  are  mine  throughout  all  eternity.  No 
power  but  sin,  the  transgression  of  the  laws  of  God,  can 
take  them  from  me.  All  these  things  are  mine  even  after  I 
leave  this  probation. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  21,  pp.  102, 
103,  December,  1917. 

DUTY  OF  HUSBAND  TO  WIFE.  If  there  is  any  man  who 
ought  to  merit  the  curse  of  Almighty  God  it  is  the  man  who 
neglects  the  mother  of  his  child,  the  wife  of  his  bosom,  the 
one  who  has  made  sacrifice  of  her  very  life,  over  and  over 
again,  for  him  and  his  children.  That  is,  of  course,  assum- 
ing that  the  wife  is  a  pure  and  faithful  mother  and  wife. — 
Improvement  Era,  Vol.  21,  p.  105,,  December,  1917. 

WIVES  AND  HUSBANDS  IN  ETERNITY.     We  expect  to 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    393 

have  our  wives  and  husbands  in  eternity.  We  expect  our 
children  will  acknowledge  us  as  their  fathers  and  mothers 
in  eternity.  I  expect  this ;  I  look  for  nothing  else.  Without 
it  I  could  not  be  happy.  The  thought  or  belief  that  I  should 
be  denied  this  privilege  hereafter  would  make  me  miserable 
from  this  moment.  I  never  could  be  happy  again  without  the 
hope  that  I  shall  enjoy  the  society  of  my  wives  and  children 
in  eternity.  If  I  had  not  this  hope,  I  should  be  of  all  men 
most  unhappy;  "for  if  in  this  life  only  we  have  hope  in 
Christ,  we  are  of  all  men  most  miserable."  All  who  have 
tasted  of  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  have  had 
awakened  within  them  a  hope  of  eternal  life,  cannot  be 
happy  unless  they  continue  to  drink  of  that  fountain  until 
they  are  satisfied,  and  it  is  the  only  fountain  at  which  they 
can  drink  and  be  satisfied. — Deseret  Weekly  News,  Vol.  33, 
p.  131,  1884. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  FILIAL  AFFECTION.  Do  not  add  to  their 
burdens  by  neglect,  by  extravagance  or  by  misconduct. 
Rather  suffer  that  your  right  hand  be  cut  off,  or  your  eye 
plucked  out  than  that  you  would  bring  sorrow  or  anguish 
to  your  parents  because  of  your  neglect  of  filial  affection  to 
them.  So  children,  remember  your  parents.  After  they 
have  nurtured  you  through  the  tender  years  of  your  infancy 
and  childhood,  after  they  have  fed  and  clothed  and  educated 
you,  after  having  given  you  a  bed  to  rest  upon  and  done  all 
in  their  power  for  your  good,  don't  you  neglect  them  when 
they  become  feeble  and  are  bowed  down  with  the  weight  of 
their  years.  Don't  you  leave  them,  but  settle  down  near 
them,  and  do  all  in  your  power  to  minister  to  their  comfort 
and  well-being. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  21,  p.  105,  Decem- 
ber, 1917. 

FAMILY  GOVERNMENT  BY  LOVE.  I  learned  in  my  child- 
hood, as  most  children,  probably,  have  learned,  more  or  less 
at  least,  that  no  love  in  all  the  world  can  equal  the  love  of 
a  true  mother. 


394  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

I  did  not  think  in  those  clays,  and  still  I  am  at  a  loss  to 
know,  how  it  would  be  possible  for  anyone  to  love  her  chil- 
dren more  truly  than  did  my  mother.  I  have  felt  sometimes, 
how  could  even  the  Father  love  his  children  more  than  my 
mother  loved  her  children?  It  was  life  to  me;  it  was 
strength  ;  it  was  encouragement ;  it  was  love  that  begot  love 
or  likeness  in  myself.  I  knew  she  loved  me  with  all  her 
heart.  She  loved  her  children  with  all  her  soul.  She  would 
toil  and  labor  and  sacrifice  herself  day  and  night,  for  the 
temporal  comforts  and  blessings  that  she  could  meagerly 
give,  through  the  results  of  her  own  labors,  to  her  children. 
There  was  no  sacrifice  of  self — of  her  own  time,  of  her 
leisure  or  pleasure,  or  opportunities  for  rest — that  was  con- 
sidered for  a  moment,  when  it  came  in  comparison  with  her 
duty  and  her  love  to  her  children. 

When  I  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  called  to  go  to  a 
foreign  country  to  preach  the  gospel — or  to  learn  how,  and 
to  learn  it  for  myself — the  strongest  anchor  that  was  fixed 
in  my  life,  and  that  helped  to  hold  my  ambition  and  my  de- 
sire steady,  to  bring  me  upon  a  level  and  keep  me  straight, 
was  that  love  which  I  knew  she  had  for  me  who  bore  me 
into  the  world. 

Only  a  little  boy,  not  matured  at  all  in  judgment,  with- 
out the  advantage  of  education,  thrown  in  the  midst  of  the 
greatest  allurements  and  temptations  that  it  was  possible  for 
any  boy  or  any  man  to  be  subjected  to — and  yet,  whenever 
these  temptations  became  most  alluring  and  most  tempting 
to  me,  the  first  thought  that  arose  in  my  soul  was  this : 
Remember  the  love  of  your  mother.  Rememlber  how  she 
strove  for  your  welfare.  Remember  how  willing  she  was  to 
sacrifice  her  life  for  your  good.  Remember  what  she  taught 
you  in  your  childhood  and  how  she  insisted  upon  your  read- 
ing the  New  Testament — the  only  book,  except  a  few  little 
school  books,  that  we  had  in  the  family,  or  that  was  within 
reach  of  us  at  that  time.  This  feeling  toward  my  mother  be- 


.  THE  IIOMI*.  AND  FAMILY  395 

came  a  defense,  a  barrier  between  me  and  temptation,  so 
that  I  could  turn  aside  from  temptation  and  sin  by  the  help 
of  the  Lord  and  the  love  begotten  in  my  soul,  toward  her 
whom  I  knew  loved  me  more  than  anybody  else  in  all  the 
world,  and  more  than  any  other  living  being  could  love  me. 

A  wife  may  love  her  husband,  but  it  is  different  to  that 
of  the  love  of  mother  to  her  child.  The  true  mother,  the 
mother  who  has  the  fear  of  God  and  the  love  of  truth  in 
her  soul,  would  never  hide  from  danger  or  evil  and  leave  her 
child  exposed  to  it.  But  as  natural  as  it  is  for  the  sparks 
to  fly  upward,  as  natural  as  it  is  to  breathe  the  breath  of 
life,  if  there  were  danger  coming  to  her  child,  she  would 
step  between  the  child  and  that  danger ;  she  would  defend 
her  child  to  the  uttermost.  Her  life  would  be  nothing  in 
the  balance,  in  comparison  with  the  life  of  her  child.  That 
is  the  love  of  true  motherhood  for  children. 

Her  love  for  her  husband  would  be  different,  for  if 
danger  should  come  to  him,  as  natural  as  it  would  be  for  her 
to  step  between  her  child  and  danger,  instead,  her  disposi- 
tion would  be  to  step  behind  her  husband  for  protection, 
and  that  is  the  difference  between  the  love  of  mother  for  chil- 
dren and  the  love  of  wife  for  husband — there  is  a  great  dif- 
ference between  the  two. 

I  have  learned  to  place  a  high  estimate  upon  the  love 
of  mother.  I  have  often  said,  and  will  repeat  it,  that  the  love 
of  a  true  mother  comes  nearer  being  like  the  love  of  God 
than  any  other  kind  of  love.  The  father  may  love  his  chil- 
dren, too ;  and  next  to  the  love  that  the  mother  feels  for  her 
child,  unquestionably  and  rightfully,  too,  comes  the  love  that 
the  father  feels  for  his  child.  But,  as  it  has  been  illustrated 
here  by  Brother  Edward  H.  Anderson,  the  love  of  the  father 
is  of  a  different  character,  or  degree,  to  the  love  of  the 
mother  for  her  child ;  illustrated  by  the  fact  he  related  here 
of  having  the  privilege  of  working  with  his  boy,  having  him 
in  his  presence,  becoming  more  intimate  with  him,  learning 


396  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

his  characteristics  more  clearly;  becoming  more  familiar 
and  more  closely  related  to  him;  the  result  of  which  was 
that  his  love  for  his  boy  increased,  and  the  love  of  the  boy 
increased  for  his  father,  for  the  same  reason,  merely  because 
of  that  closer  association.  So  the  child  learns  to  love  his 
mother  best,  as  a  rule,  wrhen  the  mother  is  good,  wise,  pru- 
dent, and  intelligent,  because  the  child  is  with  her  more, 
they  are  more  familiar  with  each  other  and  understand  each 
other  better. 

Now,  this  is  the  thought  that  I  desire  to  express :  Fath- 
ers, if  you  wish  your  children  to  be  taught  in  the  principles 
of  the  gospel,  if  you  wish  them  to  love  the  truth  and  under- 
stand it,  if  you  wish  them  to  be  obedient  to  and  united  with 
you,  love  them!  arid  prove  to  them  that  you  do  love  them 
by  your  every  word  or  act  to  them.  For  your  own  sake,  for 
the  love  that  should  exist  between  you  and  your  boys — 
however  wayward  they  might  be,  or  one  or  the  other  might 
be,  when  you  speak  or  talk  to  them,  do  it  not  in  anger,  do 
it  not  harshly,  in  a  condemning  spirit.  Speak  to  them 
kindly;  get  them  down  and  weep  with  them  if  necessary 
and  get  them  to  shed  tears  with  you  if  possible.  Soften 
their  hearts ;  get  them  to  feel  tenderly  toward  you.  Use  no 
lash  and  no  violence,  but  argue,  or  rather  reason — ap- 
proach them  with  reason,  with  persuasion  and  love  un- 
feigned. With  these  means,  if  you  cannot  gain  your  boys 
and  your  girls,  they  will  prove  to  be  reprobate  to  you ;  and 
there  will  be  no  means  left  in  the  world  by  which  you  can 
win  them  to  yourselves.  But,  get  them  to  feel  as  you  feel, 
have  interest  in  the  things  in  which  you  take  interest,  to 
love  the  gospel  as  you  love  it,  to  love  one  another  as  you, 
love  them;  to  love  their  parents  as  the  parents  love  the 
children.  You  can't  do  it  any  other  way.  You  can't  do 
it  by  unkindness ;  you  cannot  do  it  by  driving ;  our  children 
are  like  we  are ;  we  couldn't  be  driven ;  we  can't  be  driven 
now.  We  are  like  some  other  animals  that  we  know  of  in 


MARRIAGE,  THE  HOME  AND  FAMILY    397 

the  world.  You  can  coax  them ;  you  can  lead  them,  by  hold- 
ing out  inducements  to  them,  and  by  speaking  kindly  to  them, 
but  you  can't  drive  them ;  they  won't  be  driven.  We  won't 
be  driven.  Men  are  not  in  the  habit  of  being  driven ;  they 
are  not  made  that  way. 

This  is  not  the  way  that  God  intended,  in  the  begin- 
ning, to  deal  with  his  children — by  force.  It  is  all  free  love, 
free  grace.  The  poet  expressed  it  in  these  words : 

"Know  this,  that  every  soul  is  free, 
To  choose  his  course  and  what  he'll  be; 
For  this  eternal  truth  is  given, 
That  God  will  force  no  man  to  heaven." 

You  can't  force  your  boys,  nor  your  girls  into  heaven. 
You  may  force  them  to  hell,  by  using  harsh  means  in  the 
efforts  to  make  them  good,  when  you  yourselves  are  not  as 
good  as  you  should  be.  The  man  that  will  be  angry  at  his 
boy,  and  try  to  correct  him  while  he  is  in  anger,  is  in  the 
greatest  fault ;  he  is  more  to  be  pitied  and  more  to  be  con- 
demned than  the  child  who  has  done  wrong.  You  can  only 
correct  your  children  by  love,  in  kindness,  by  love  unfeigned, 
by  persuasion,  and  reason. 

When  I  was  a  child,  sometimes  a  wayward,  disobedient 
little  boy — not  that  I  was  wilfully  disobedient,  but  I  would 
forget  what  I  ought  to  do ;  I  would  go  off  with  playful  boys 
and  be  absent  when  I  should  have  been  at  home,  and  I  would 
forget  to  do  things  I  was  asked  to  do.  Then  I  would  go 
home,  feel  guilty,  know  that  I  was  guilty,  that  I  had  neg- 
lected my  duty  and  that  I  deserved  punishment. 

On  one  occasion  I  had  done  something  that  was  not  just 
right,  and  my  mother  said  to  me :  "Now,  Joseph,  if  you  do 
that  again  I  shall  have  to  whip  you."  Well,  time  went  on, 
and  by  and  by,  I  forgot  it,  and  I  did  something  similar 
again;  and  this  is  the  one  thing  that  I  admired  more,  per- 
haps, than  any  secondary  thing  in  her ;  it  was  that  when  she 


398  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

made  a  promise  she  kept  it.     She  never  made  a  promise, 
that  I  know  of,  that  she  did  not  keep. 

Well,  I  was  called  to  account.  She  said:  "Now,  I 
told  you.  You  knew  that  if  you  did  this  1  would  have  to 
whip  you,  for  I  said  I  would.  I  must  do  it.  I  do  not  want 
to  do  it.  It  hurts  me  worse  than  it  does  you,  but  I  must 
whip  you." 

Well,  she  had  a  little  rawhide,  already  there,  and  while 
she  was  talking  or  reasoning'  with  me,  showing  me  how  much 
I  deserved  it  and  how  painful  it  was  to  her,  to  inflict  the 
punishment  I  deserved,  I  had  only  one  thought  and  that  was : 
"For  goodness'  sake,  whip  me ;  do  not  reason  with  me,"  for 
I  felt  the  lash  of  her  just  criticism  and  admonition  a  thou- 
sand fold  worse  than  I  did  the  switch.  I  felt  as  if,  when  she 
laid  the  lash  on  me,  I  had  at  least  partly  paid  my  debt  and  had 
answered  for  my  wrong  doing.  Her  reasoning  cut  me  down 
into  the  quick ;  it  made  me  feel  sorry  to  the  very  core ! 

I  could  have  endured  a  hundred  lashes  with  the  raw- 
hide better  than  I  could  endure  a  ten-minutes'  talk  in  which 
I  felt  and  was  made  to  feel  that  the  punishment  inflicted  up- 
on me  was  painful  to  her  that  I  loved — punishment  upon 
my  own  mother ! — Extracts  from  an  address  given  at  a 
"Home  Evening"  meeting  in  Granite  Stake,  1909.  Improve- 
ment Em,  Vol.  13,  pp.  276-280. 

THE  HOMH  AND  THE  CHILD.  But  what  are  we  doing 
in  our  homes  to  train  our  children ;  what  to  enlighten  them  ? 
What  to  encourage  them  to  make  home  their  place  of  amuse- 
ment, and  a  place  where  they  may  invite  their  friends  for 
study  or  entertainment?  Have  we  good  books,  games, 
music,  and  well-lighted,  well-ventilated,  warm  rooms  for 
their  convenience  and  pleasure?  Do  we  take  personal  inter- 
est in  them  and  in  their  affairs?  Are  we  providing  them 
with  the  physical  knowledge,  the  mental  food,  the  health- 
ful exercise,  and  the  spiritual  purification,  that  wil  enable 


AMUSEMENTS  AND  FASHIONS          399 

them  to  become  pure  and  robust  in  body,  intelligent  and  hon- 
orable citizens,  faithful  and  loyal  Latter-day  Saints? 

We  frequently  neglect  giving  them  any  information 
concerning  their  bodily  well-being.  In  our  cities  we  appear 
to  be  providing  our  young  people  too  much  mental  exercise, 
and  no  physical  diversion  and  work,  while  in  our  country 
settlements,  we  seem  to  be  overburdening  them  with  bodily 
labor,  and  in  many  cases  doing  little  or  nothing  for  their  men- 
tal development  and  recreation.  Hence,  in  the  one  case  they 
seek  forbidden  places  and  pleasure,  on  account  of  too  much 
mental  exercise ;  and  in  another,  because  of  too  little. 

Now  then,  are  we  studying  their  wants  as  we  do  our 
business,  and  our  farms  and  our  animals  ?  Are  we  looking 
after  them,  and  if  necessary  bringing  them  in  from  the  street 
when  absent,  and  providing  them  in  our  homes  with  what 
they  lack?  Or  are  we  to  a  great  extent  neglecting  these 
things  in  the  home  and  home  training,  and  considering  our 
children  of  secondary  value  to  horses  and  cattle  and  lands? 

These  are  important  points  for  consideration,  and  fath- 
ers and  mothers  should  honestly  study  them,  and  as  hon- 
estly answer  them  to  their  own  satisfaction.  We  may  well 
invest  means  in  the  home  for  the  comfort,  convenience,  en- 
tertainment and  training  of  our  children.  We  may  well  give 
our  sons  and  daughters  some  time  for  recreation  and  di- 
version, and  some  provision  in  the  home  for  satisfying  their 
longing  for  legitimate  physical  and  mental  recreation,  to 
which  every  child  is  entitled,  and  which  he  will  seek  in  the 
street  or  in  objectionable  places,  if  it  is  not  provided  in  the 
home.  In  addition  to  this,  and  supplementary  to  the  train- 
ing in  the  home,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  our  organizations  will 
as  soon  as  possible  provide  every  arrangement  for  legitimate 
entertainment  and  recreation,  physical  and  intellectual,  that 
will  tend  to  attract  our  young  people,  and  hold  them  interest- 
ed, loyal  and  contented  within  the  pale  of  our  own  influence 
and  organizations. — Imp.  Era,  Vol.  11,  pp.  302-3,  1997-8. 


CHAPTER   XVII 

Amusements  and  Fashions. 

i 

YOUTH  SHOULD  LOOK  FORWARD.  Our  youth  should  not 
be  left  to  spend  their  time  almost  entirely  in  the  mad  whirl 
of  pleasure  and  amusement,  without  a  thought  of  advancing 
years  with  the  attendant  bodily  ailments  and  physical  infirm- 
ities which  are  bound  to  come.  They  should  be  given  to 
understand  that  what  are  generally  considered  as  the  pleas- 
ures of  youth  are  on  the  wing,  and  will. soon  pass,  leaving 
in  their  rear  only  sad  remembrances  of  wasted  opportunities 
that  cannot  be  recalled.  They  should  not  be  permitted  to 
waste  their  time  and  their  parents'  substance  in  frivolous 
pastime  and  riotous  living,  which  can  only  result  in  vicious 
or  evil  habits  being  formed. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  52, 
January,  1917,  p.  19. 

PROPER  AMUSEMENTS.  Our  amusements  should  be 
characterized  by  their  wholesome  social  environments.  We 
should  have  proper  regard  to  the  character  of  those  with 
whom  we  associate  in  places  of  amusement ;  and  we  should 
be  governed  by  a  high  sense  of  responsibility  to  our  parents, 
to  our  friends  and  to  the  Church.  We  should  know  that  the 
pleasures  which  we  enjoy  are  such  as  have  upon  them  the 
stamp  of  divine  approval.  They  should  be  endorsed  by  our 
parents  and  by  our  religious  associates,  and  by  those  true 
principles  which  should  always  regulate  our  intercourse  with 
one  another  in  Church  membership.  Amusements  which, 
in  themselves,  and  in  commendable  social  surroundings,  may 
be  proper  and  wholesome,  should  be  avoided  unless  associ- 
ates are  unquestionable  and  the  places  are  reputable  and  are 
conducted  under  proper  restraints. 

There  are  limits  in  our  recreations  beyond  which  we 


AMUSEMENTS  AND  FASHIONS          401 

cannot  safely  go.  They  should  be  guarded  in  character  and 
curtailed  in  frequency  to  avoid  excess.  They  should  not 
occupy  all,  nor  even  the  greater  part  of  our  time ;  indeed, 
they  should  be  made  incidental  to  the  duties  and  obligations 
of  life,  and  never  be  made  a  controlling  motive  or  factor  in 
our  hopes  and  ambitions.  There  are  so  many  dangers  lurk- 
ing in  those  amusements,  and  the  fascination  for  them  which 
take  hold  upon  the  lives  of  our  young  people,  sometimes  to 
the  very  possession  of  them,  that  they  should  be  carefully 
guarded  and  warned  against  the  temptations  and  evils  that 
are  likely  to  ensnare  them,  to  their  destruction. — Juvenile 
Instructor,  Vol.  49,  June,  1914,  pp.  380,  381. 

PROPER  CHARACTER  OF  AMUSEMENTS.  The  character 
and  variety  of  our  amusements  have  so  much  to  do  with  the 
welfare  and  character  of  our  young  people  that  they  should 
be  guarded  with  the  utmost  jealousy  for  the  preservation 
of  the  morals  and  stamina  of  the  youth  of  Zion. 

In  the  first  place,  they  should  not  be  excessive ;  and 
young  people  should  be  discouraged  from  giving  themselves 
up  to  the  spirit  and  frivolity  of  excessive  mirth.  No  Latter- 
day  Saint  needs  to  be  told  that  two  or  three  dances  a  week 
for  his  children  are  out  of  all  sense  of  reason.  Too  fre- 
quent dances  are  not  only  injurious  to  stability  of  character, 
but  they  are  highly  detrimental  to  good  health ;  and  wher- 
ever possible  other  amusements  than  the  ball  room  should  be 
introduced  into  the  lives  of  our  young  people.  They  should 
be  trained  to  appreciate  more  and  more  amusements  of  a 
social  and  intellectual  character.  Home  parties,  concerts 
that  develop  the  talents  of  youth,  and  public  amusements  that 
bring  together  both  young  and  old,  are  preferable  to  the  ex- 
cessive practice  of  dancing. 

In  the  second  place,  our  amusements  should  be  consist- 
ent with  our  religious  spirit  of  fraternity  and  religious  devo- 
tion. In  too  many  instances  the  ball  room  is  devoid  of  our 
supplication  for  Divine  protection.  Our  dancing  should  be, 

27 


402  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

as  far  as  possible,  under  the  supervision  of  some  Church  or- 
ganization, and  we  should  be  scrupulously  careful  to  open 
the  dance  by  prayer.  *  *  *  The  question  of  amusements 
is  one  of  such  far-reaching  importance  to  the  welfare  of  the 
Saints  that  the  presiding  authorities  of  every  ward  should 
give  it  their  most  careful  attention  and  consideration. 

In  the  third  place,  our  amusements  should  interfere  as 
little  as  possible  with  the  work  of  the  school-room.  It  is 
very  desirable  that  the  early  education  of  our  young  people 
should  be  carried  on  with  as  little  interruption  as  possible  ; 
and  frequent  dances  during  the  school  season  are  detrimental 
both  to  the  body  and  to  the  mind. 

Lastly,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  in  many  homes,  parents 
abandon  all  regulation  respecting  the  amusement  of  their 
children,  and  set  them  adrift  to  find  their  fun  wherever  and 
whenever  they  can.  Parents  should  never  lose  control  of  the 
amusements  of  their  children  during  their  tender  years,  and 
should  be  scrupulously  careful  about  the  companionship  of 
their  young  people  in  places  of  amusement. — Juvenile  In- 
structor, Vol.  39,  March  1,  1904,  pp.  144,  145. 

SOCIAL  DUTIES.  The  city  people  have  become  accus- 
tomed to  living  near  neighbors  for  years  without  associating 
together.  There  are  instances  where  good  people,  well  ac- 
quainted in  business  and  upon  the  street,  have  lived  neigh- 
bors for  twenty-five  or  more  years,  and  yet  not  invited  each 
other  to  their  homes,  to  take  dinner  together,  nor  to  have  a 
social  hour  or  evening.  They  live  so  near  each  other  that 
they  can  almost  shake  hands,  from  door  to  door,  yet  never 
call,  nor  associate  together ;  they  are  perfectly  exclusive. 
That  is  not  a  wise  nor  a  good  way,  especially  when,  as  Lat- 
ter-day Saints,  we  should  be  looking  after  the  welfare  of 
mankind,  by  preaching  the  gospel  in  word  and  in  deed. 
Would  it  not  be  much  better  if  we  arranged  a  little  dinner, 
or  invited  our  neighbor  to  come  and  join  us  in  a  little  social, 
to  become  acquainted  and  make  him  feel  we  are  not  strang- 


AMUSEMENTS  AND  FASHIONS          403 

ers  to  him,  nor  he  to  us?  And  let  us  remember  the  defini- 
tion which  Christ  sanctioned  of  neighbor,  as  well  as  the  re- 
quirement ;  He  that  showeth  mercy  unto  me  is  my  neighbor, 
and  the  commandment  is :  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as 
thyself. 

I  hope  we  shall  do  better.  But  there  is  really  little  so- 
ciability among  us,  and  there  is  an  exclusiveness  that  is  not 
in  keeping  with  the  warmth  of  the  gospel.  We  do  not  think 
enough  of  each  other ;  we  do  not  care  for  each  other ;  we 
take  little  or  no  notice  of  each  other ;  and  finally,  we  pass 
each  other  on  the  street  without  the  slightest  recognition. 
We  scarcely  bow  to  a  brother,  unless  we  are  really  intimate 
with  him.  That  is  not  the  spirit  that  belongs  to  "Mormon- 
ism."  It  is  contrary  to  that  friendship  and  sociability  that 
ought  to  characterize  Latter-day  Saints.  I  believe  in  the 
broadest,  most  charitable,  the  kindest  and  most  loving  spirit 
that  it  is  possible  for  broad-minded  and  big-souled  men  to 
exercise  or  to  possess;  and  that  this  spirit  ought  to  be  the 
spirit  possessed  and  diffused  by  the  Saints  everywhere. 

Let  us,  then,  gather  in  the  honest  in  heart,  and  treat 
them  and  one  another  with  the  spirit  of  warmth  and  love 
characteristic  of  the  gospel.  Then  talk  about  the  unfortu- 
nate, the  drunken,  the  weak,  the  erring!  Do  not  shun  them, 
either.  They  ought  to  be  saved  as  well  as  everybody  else; 
and,  if  it  is  possible,  let  us  save  them,  too,  as  well  as  the 
worthy,  the  good  and  the  pure.  Let  us  save  the  sinner,  and 
bring  him  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth,  if  possible. 

Our  Mutual  Improvement  Associations  are  invited  to 
make  a  specialty  of  this  social  work ;  the  bishops  should 
lend  their  aid  to  the  officers  in  selecting  and  setting  apart 
capable  and  experienced  missionaries,  as  well  as  ward  teach- 
ers, who  should  devote  their  energies,  among  other  things, 
to  the  development  of  a  more  social  spirit  among  the  people. 
The  indifferent  youth,  as  well  as  the  stranger  and  the 
friendless,  in  our  midst,  should  be  made  welcome  at  our 


404  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

gatherings,  and  be  induced  to  feel  at  home  among  the  peo- 
ple of  God.  And  then,  let  it  be  remembered,  every  family, 
every  person,  has  a  duty  in  this  line.  Because  men  or  women 
are  not  ward  or  association  officers  is  no  good  reason  why 
they  should  be  exempt  from  the  common  social  amenities 
of  life,  nor  why  they  should  not  be  subject  to  doing  good 
temporally,  spiritually  jand  socially. — Improvement  Era, 
Vol.  7,  October,  1904,  p.  957. 

THE  DANGER  OF  PLEASURE  HUNTING.  In  order  that  a 
young  man  may  make  up  his  mind  what  course  in  life  to 
take  he  must  pay  some  thought  on  where  he  is  going  in  the 
long  run ;  what  shall  be  the  condition  he  would  like  to  enjoy 
through  life,  and  particularly  the  end  towards  which  he 
would  like  to  work.  Otherwise  it  will  be  hard  for  him  to 
steer  his  actions  from  day  to  day  towards  the  goal  of  his 
ambition. 

Calmly  viewing  the  hundreds  of  sayings  to  be  found  in 
good  books,  and  hearing  also  the  experiences  and  warnings 
of  many  more  wise  men  who  live  in  our  time  and  settle- 
ments, who  are  exemplary  shepherds  of  the  people  in  our 
many  Church  organizations,  and  who  are  constantly  giving 
warning  against  excessive  pleasure-seeking,  the  thoughtful 
young  man  must  confess  that  pleasure  is  not  the  goal  that 
he  would  seek — that  the  man  would  seek  who  desires  to 
make  the  best  out  of  life. 

The  wise  man  is,  therefore,  going  to  steer  his  course 
away  from  the  living  death  of  pleasure-seeking.  He  is  not 
going  into  bondage  or  debt  to  buy  automobiles  and  other 
costly  equipages  to  keep  pace  with  the  rush  of  fashionable 
pleasure-seeking,  in  this  respect.  He  is  not  going  to  borrow 
money  to  satisfy  the  popular  craze  for  traveling  in  Europe 
or  in  our  own  country  with  no  purpose  in  view  but  pleasure. 
He  is  not  going  to  grow  nervous  and  gray  in  a  struggle  for 
means  that  his  wife  and  daughter,  for  mere  pleasure,  may 
spend  the  summer  at  costly,  fashionable  resorts,  or  in  dis- 


AMUSEMENTS  AND  FASHIONS          405 

tant  lands.  It  is  true  that  there  are  many  in  our  commu- 
nity who  do  not  appear  to  be  wise,  and  who  are  doing  just 
these  and  other  foolish  acts  for  so-called  pleasure. 

The  result  of  this  hunt  for  pleasure  and  excitement  and 
for  keeping  pace  with  what  only  the  very  wealthy  can  but 
ought  not  to  do,  is  that  many  are  forced  to  undertake  all 
kinds  of  illegitimate  schemes  to  obtain  money  to  gratify  the 
tendency.  Hence  the  growth  of  financial  immorality.  Many 
underhanded  methods  are  adopted  to  obtain  means,  and  even 
cheating  and  lying  and  deceiving  friends  and  neighbors 
are  frequently  resorted'  to  in  order  that  money  may  be  ob- 
tained to  gratify  this  inordinate  desire  for  pleasure.  The 
story  is  told  of  one  good  lady  who  got  flour,  at  her  grocer's 
on  credit,  and  sold  it  for  cash  at  a  bargain  to  get  money  to 
go  pleasure-seeking.  Thus  the  morals  are  corrupted.  This 
applies  to  rich  and  poor  alike. 

You  men  who  are  sensible  fathers,  is  this  course  worth 
while  ? 

Young  men  who  have  a  goal  in  sight,  is  this  the  course 
to  take  to  fit  your  purpose  and  to  get  the  best  results  out  of 
life? 

Without  discussing  wealth  and  fame,  shall  we  not  call 
a  halt  in  this  pleasure  craze,  and  go  about  the  legitimate  bus- 
iness of  true  Latter-day  Saints,  which  is  to  desire  and 
strive  to  be  of  some  use  in  the  world?  Shall  we  not  instead 
do  something  to  increase  the  genuine  joy  and  welfare  and 
virtue  of  mankind  as  well  as  our  own  by  helping  to  bear  the 
burdens  under  which  the  toilers  are  groaning,  by  rendering 
loving,  devoted  and  unselfish  service  to  our  fellow  men? — 
Improvement  Era,  Vol.  12,  July,  1909,  p.  744. 

HARMFUL  EFFECTS  OF  BAD  BOOKS.  It  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  estimate  the  harmful  influences  upon  the  thoughts, 
feelings,  and  actions  of  the  young,  brought  about  by  the 
practice  of  reading  dime  novels.  Books  constitute  a  sort  of 
companionship  to  everyone  who  reads,  and  they  create  within 


406  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

the  heart  feelings  either  for  good  or  for  bad.  It  sometimes 
happens  that  parents  are  very  careful  about  the  company 
which  their  children  keep  and  are  yet  very  indifferent  about 
the  books  they  read.  In  the  end  the  reading  of  a  bad  book 
will  bring  about  evil  associates. 

It  is  not  only  the  boy  who  reads  this  strange,  weird  and 
unnaturally  exciting  literature  that  .is  affected  by  its  influ- 
ence, but  in  time  he  influences  others.  This  literature  be- 
comes the  mother  of  all  sorts  of  evil  suggestions  that  ripen 
into  evil  practices  and  bring  about  an  unnatural  and  debased 
feeling  which  is  ever  crowding  out  the  good  in  the  human 
heart  and  giving  place  to  the  bad.  It  was  Shelley  who  said 
that  "strange  thoughts  beget  strange  deeds,"  and  when  our 
children  are  reading  books  that  are  creating  strange  and  un- 
usual and  undesirable  thoughts  in  their  minds  we  need  not  be 
surprised  to  learn  that  they  have  committed  some  unusual, 
some  strange,  or  unnatural  act.  It  is  in  the  thoughts  and 
feelings  that  we  have  to  combat  the  evils  and  temptations 
of  the  world,  and  the  purification  of  our  thoughts  and  feel- 
ings should  be  made  the  special  effort  of  every  father  and 
mother.  Fuller  once  wrote,  "It  seems  my  soul  is  like  a  filthy 
pond  where  fish  die  soon  and  frogs  live  long."  It  is  re- 
markable how  easy  it  is  to  learn  sin  and  how  hard  it  is  to 
forget  it. 

A  story  is  told  of  an  English  officer  in  India,  who  one 
day  went  to  the  book  shelf  to  take  down  a  book.  As  he 
reached  his  hand  up  over  the  volume  his  finger  was  bitten 
by  an  adder.  After  a  few  hours  the  finger  began  to  swell. 
Later  on  the  swelling  went  into  his  arm,  and  finally  the 
whole  body  was  affected,  and  in  a  few  days  the  officer  was 
dead.  There  are  adders  concealed  in  many  a  cheap  'and 
trashy  book,  and  they  are  always  common  in  dime  novels. 
Their  effects  upon  our  souls  are  poisonous,  and  in  time  they 
are  sure  to  produce  a  moral  and  spiritual  death. 
The  influence  of  these  novels  is  all  the  more  dan- 


AMUSEMENTS  AND  FASHIONS          407 

gerous  because  the  feelings  and  thoughts  which  they 
engender  in  the  heart  and  mind  are  more  or  less  hid- 
den, and  the  evil  consequence  of  such  reading  frequently 
does  not  manifest  itself  until  some  overt  and  horrible  act  is 
the  result  of  months  and  sometimes  years  of  imagination 
and  wonderment.  Let  the  Saints  beware  of  the  books  that 
enter  their  homes,  for  their  influences  may  be  as  poisonous 
and  deadly  as  the  adder  which  brought  death  to  the  English 
officer  in  India. — Juvenile  Instructor,  May  1,  1902,  Vol.  37, 
p.  275. 

PROPER  READING.  There  is  altogether  too  much  novel 
reading  of  that  class  of  novels  which  teaches  nothing  useful, 
and  only  tends  to  the  excitement  of  the  emotions.  Exces- 
sive novel  reading  we  all  know  is  detrimental  to  the  intellec- 
tual development  of  those  who  engage  in  it,  and  the  wise  and 
those' who  seek  advancement  might  well  give  more  time  to 
useful,  educational  works — books  that  would  enlighten  the 
reader  on  history,  biography,  religion,  and  other  important 
subjects  which  all  well-informed  people  are  expected  to  un- 
derstand. 

Many  of  our  young  people,  and  some  older  ones,  too,  are 
not  familiar  with  their  own  religion  nor  with  the  beautiful 
and  striking  doctrines  of  the  gospel  with  which  it  is  so  laden. 
This  class  devote  more  time  to  reading  useless  or  sensational 
books  than  they  do  to  the  study  and  contemplation  of  works 
that  would  familiarize  them  with  the  principles  of  the  gospel. 
If  they  were  better  informed  in  this  line,  and  understood  the 
saving  doctrines  and  every-d'ay  questions  of  their  religion, 
more  than  they  do,  they  would  not  be  trapped  by  false  teach- 
ings, false  leaders,  and  advocates  of  cults  that  are  false. 
They  would  not  be  misled  as  some  of  them  are. — Improve- 
ment Era,  May,  1909,  Vol.  12,  p.  561. 

RAFFLING  AND  GAMBLING.  Is  it  proper  to  raffle  prop- 
erty for  the  benefit  of  missionaries  ?  No ;  raffling  is  a  game 


408  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

of  chance,  and  hence  leads  to  gambling;  for  that  reason,  if 
for  no  other,  it  should  not  be  encouraged  among  the  young 
men  of  the  Church.  President  Young  declared  raffling  to  be 
a  modified  name  of  gambling;  said  that  "as  Latter-day  Saints 
we  cannot  afford  to  sacrifice  moral  principles  to  financial 
gain,"  and  advised  the  sisters  through  the  Woman's  Ex- 
ponent not  to  raffle.  President  Lorenzo  Snow  endorsed 
and  approved  of  these  sentiments ;  and  I  have  often 
expressed  my  unqualified  disapproval  of  raffling ;  the 
General  Sunday  School  Board  have  declared  against  it ; 
and  finally  the  state  law  makes  it  unlawful  to  raffle  with 
dice ;  and  if  it  is  unlawful  with  dice,  in  principle,  is  it  not  just 
as  injurious  with  any  other  device?  With  all  these  objec- 
tions, should  it  riot  be  clear  to  anyone  that  raffling  horses, 
quilts,  bicycles  and  other  property  is  not  sanctioned  by  the 
moral  law  nor  approved  by  the  general  Church  authorities. 
Pint  it  continues  just  the  same,  and  if  you  do  not  believe  in  it, 
you  should  refuse  to  patronize  it,  so  helping  the  cause.  Now, 
how  shall  we  aid  the  missionary  who  wishes  to  sell  a  horse, 
or  what  not  ?  Let  everybody  give  a  dollar,  and  let  the  donors 
decide,  by  vote,  to  what  worthy  man,  not  of  their  number, 
the  horse  shall  be  given.  No  chance  about  that — it  is  pure 
decision,  and  it  helps  the  people  who  wish  to  buy  chances 
solely  for  the  benefit  of  the  missionary  to  discourage  the 
gambling  propensities  of  their  natures.  However,  here 
is  an  additional  thought :  The  element  of  chance  enters  very 
largely  into  everything  we  undertake,  and  it  should  be  re- 
membered that  the  spirit  in  which  we  do  things  decides  very 
largely  whether  we  are  gambling  or  are  entering  into  legiti- 
mate business  enterprises. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  6,  Feb- 
ruary, 1903,  p.  308. 

GAMES  OF  CHANCE.  To  Whom  It  May  Concern: 
Among  the  vices  of  the  present,  age  gambling  is  very  gen- 
erally condemned.  Gambling  under  its  true  name  is  for- 
bidden by  law,  and  is  discountenanced  by  the  self-respecting 


AMUSEMENTS  AND  FASHIONS          409 

elements  of  society.  Nevertheless,  in  numerous  guises  the 
demon  of  chance  is  welcomed  in  the  home,  in  fashionable 
clubs,  and  at  entertainments  for  worthy  charities,  even  with- 
in the  precincts  of  sacred  edifices.  Devices  for  raising  money 
by  appealing  to  the  gambling"  instinct  are  common  acces- 
sories at  church  sociables,  ward  fairs,  and  the  like. 

Whatever  may  be  the  condition  elsewhere,  this  custom 
is  not  to  be  sanctioned  within  this  Church ;  and  any  or- 
ganization allowing  such  is  in  opposition  to  the  counsel  and 
instruction  of  the  general  authorities  of  the  Church. 

Without  attempting  to  specify  or  particularize  the  many 
objectionable  forms  given  to  this  evil  practice  amongst  us, 
we  say  again  to  the  people  that  no  kind  of  chance  game, 
guessing  contest,  or  raffling  device  can  be  approved  in  any 
entertainment  under  the  auspices  of  our  Church  organiza- 
tions. 

The  desire  to  get  something  of  value  for  little  or  noth- 
ing is  pernicious ;  and  any  proceeding  that  strengthens  that 
desire  is  an  effective  aid  to  the  gambling  spirit,  which  has 
proved  a  veritable  demon  of  destruction  to  thousands.  Risk- 
ing a  dime  in  the  hope  of  winning  a  dollar  in  any  game  of 
chance  is  a  species  of  gambling. 

Let  it  not  be  thought  that  raffling  articles  of  value,  of- 
fering prizes  to  the  winners  in  guessing-contests,  the  use  of 
machines  of  chance,  or  any  other  device  of  the  kind  is  to  be 
allowed  or  excused  because  the  money  so  obtained  is  to  be 
used  for  a  good  purpose.  The  Church  is  not  to  be  supported 
in  any  degree  by  means  obtained  through  gambling. 

Let  the  attention  of  stake  and  ward  officers,  and  those 
in  charge  of  the  auxiliary  organizations  of  the  Church  be 
directed  to  what  has  been  written  on  this  subject  and  to  this 
present  reminder.  An  article  over  the  signature  of  the 
President  of  the  Church  was  published  in  the  Juvenile  In- 
structor, October  1,  1902  (Volume  37,  p.  592),  in  which 


410  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

were  given  citations  from  earlier  instruction  and  advice  to 
the  people  on  this  subject.  For  convenience,  part  of  that 
article  is  repeated  here.  In  reply  to  a  question  as  to  whether 
raffling  and  games  of  chance  are  justifiable  when  the  pur- 
poses to  be  accomplished  are  good,  this  was  said :  "We  say 
emphatically,  No.  Raffle  is  only  a  modified  name  of  gam- 
ble." 

President  Young  once  said  to  Sister  Eliza  R.  Snow: 
"Tell  the  sisters  not  to  raffle.  If  the  mothers  raffle,  the 
children  will  gamble.  Raffling  is  gambling."  Then  it  is 
added:  "Some  say,  What  shall  we  do?  We  have  quilts  on 
hand — we  cannot  sell  them,  and  we  need  means  to  supply 
our  treasury,  which  we  can  obtain  by  raffling  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  poor.  Rather  let  the  quilts  rot  on  the  shelves  than 
adopt  the  old  adage,  The  end  will  sanctify  the  means.'  As 
Latter-day  Saints,  we  cannot  afford  to  sacrifice  moral  prin- 
ciple to  financial  gain." — Improvement  Era,  December,  1908, 
Vol.  12,  p.  143. 

THE  EVIL  OF  CARDS.  But,  you  say,  we  must  have  recre- 
ation ;  what  shall  we  do  ?  Turn  to  domestic  enterprises,  and 
to  the  gaining  of  useful  knowledge  of  the  gospel.  Let  the 
love  of  reading  good  and  useful  books  be  implanted  in  the 
hearts  of  the  young,  let  them  be  trained  to  take  pleasure  and 
recreation  in  history,  travel,  biography,  conversation  and 
classic  story.  Then  there  are  innocent  games,  music,  songs, 
and  literary  recreation.  What  would  you  think  of  the  man 
who  would  argue  for  whisky  and  beer  as  a  common  beverage 
because  it  is  necessary  for  people  to  drink?  He  is  per- 
haps little  worse  than  the  man  who  would  place  cards  in 
the  hands  of  my  children — whereby  they  would  foster  the 
spirit  of  chance  and  gambling  leading  down  to  destruction 
—because  they  must  have  recreation.  I  would  call  the  first 
a  vicious  enemy,  and  refer  him  to  water  to  drink;  and  the 
latter  an  evil  spirit  in  the  guise  of  innocence,  and  refer  him 


AMUSEMENTS  AND  FASHIONS         41 1 

to  recreation  containing  no  germs  of  spiritual  disease  lead- 
ing to  the  devil ! 

Let  our  evenings  be  devoted  to  innocent  amusements  in 
the  home,  and  let  all  chance  games  be  banished  from  our 
families,  and  only  recreation  indulged  in  that  is  free  from 
gambling  and  the  gambling  spirit.  And  let  excessive  card- 
playing,  and  the  person  who  strolls  about  among  neighbors 
at  all  hours  of  the  night  and  day  encouraging  the  evil,  be 
put  far  from  us.  Just  as  sure  as  we  encourage  this  evil  it 
will  bring  other  grievous  troubles  in  its  wake,  and  those  who 
indulge  excessively  will  lose  the  spirit  of  the  gospel,  and  go 
to  temporal  and  spiritual  ruin. 

Young  people  in  their  recreations  should  strive  to  form 
a  love  for  that  which  will  not  be  injurious.  It  is  not  true 
that  only  that  recreation  <can  be  enjoyed  that  is  detrimental 
to  the  body  and  spirit.  We  should  train  ourselves  to  find 
pleasure  in  that  which  invigorates,  not  stupefies  and  de- 
stroys the  body;  that  which  leads  upward  and  not  down; 
that  which  brightens,  not  dulls  and  stunts  the  intel- 
lect ;  that  which  elevates  and  exalts  the  spirit,  not  that 
clogs  and  depresses  it.  So  shall  we  please  the  Lord,  en- 
hance our  own  enjoyment,  and  save  ourselves  and  our  chil- 
dren from  impending  sins,  at  the  root  of  which,  like  the  evil 
genius,  lurks  the  spirit  of  cards  and  gaming. — Improvement 
&ra,  Vol.  14,  June,  1911,  pp.  735-8. 

WASTING  TIME  WITH  CARDS.  It  is  no  uncommon 
thing  for  women,  young  and  middle-aged,  to  spend  whole 
afternoons,  and  many  of  them,  evenings  as  well,  in  playing 
cards,  thus  wasting  hours  and  days  of  precious  time  in  this 
useless  and  unprofitable  way.  Yet  those  same  people,  when 
approached,  declare  they  have  no  time  to  spend  as  teachers 
in  the  Sabbath  schools,  and  no  time  to  attend  either  Sunday 
schools  or  meetings.  Their  church  duties  are  neglected  for 
lack  of  time,  yet  they  spend  hours,  day  after  day,  at  card's. 
They  have  thereby  encouraged  and  become  possessed  of  a 


412  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

spirit  of  indolence,  and  their  minds  are  filled  with  the  vile 
drunkenness,  hallucination,  charm  and  fascination,  that  take 
possession  of  the  habitual  card-player  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
spiritual  and  religious  feeling.  Such  a  spirit  detracts  from 
all  sacred  thought  and  sentiment.  These  players  at  length 
do  not  quite  know  whether  they  are  Jews,  Gentiles,  or  Saints, 
and  they  do  not  care  a  fig. 

While  a  simple  game  of  cards  in  itself  may  be  harmless, 
it  is  a  fact  that  by  immoderate  repetition  it  ends  in  an  infat- 
uation for  chance  schemes,  in  habits  of  excess,  in  waste  of 
precious  time,  in  a  dulling  and  stupor  of  the  mind,  and  in 
the  complete  destruction  of  religious  feeling.  These  are  seri- 
ous results,  evils  that  should  and  must  be  avoided  by  the 
Latter-day  Saints.  Then  again,  there  is  the  grave  danger 
that  lurks  in  persistent  card  playing,  which  begets  the  spirit 
of  gambling,  of  speculation,  and  that  awakens  the  dangerous 
desire  to  get  something  for  nothing. — Improvement  Era, 
Vol.  6,  August.  1903,  p.  779. 

CARD  PLAYING.  One's  character  may  be  determined  in 
some  measure  by  the  quality  of  one's  amusements.  Men 
and  women  of  industrious,  business-like,  and  thoughtful 
habits  care  little  for  frivolous  pastimes,  for  pleasures  that 
are  sought  for  their  own  sake.  It  is  not  easy  to  imagine 
that  leading  men  in  the  Church  could  find  any  pleasure  that 
was  either  inspiring  or  helpful  at  the  card  table ;  indeed  the 
announcement  that  a  president  of  a  stake,  bishop  of  a  ward, 
or  other  leading  official  of  the  Church  was  fond  of  card  play- 
ing would  be  a  shock  to  every  sense  of  propriety  even  among 
young  people  who  are  not  seriously  inclined  to  the  duties  and 
responsibilities  of  life.  Such  a  practice  would  be  looked 
upon  as  incompatible  with  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of 
a  religious  life.  Even  business  men,  as  a  rule,  are  distrust- 
ful of  business  associates  whose  inclinations  engage  them  in 
frequent  card  playing. 


AMUSEMENTS  AND  FASHIONS          413 

But  it  may  be  said  that  the  same  objections  do  not  hold 
good  in  respect  to  young  people  who  do  not  take  life  so 
seriously;  but  the  evil  is  that  young  people  who  indulge  in 
the  frivolous  and  vicious  pastime  of  card  playing  are  never 
likely  to  take  life  seriously  unless  they  forsake  such  ques- 
tionable pleasures  early  in  life.  It  is  the  serious  and  thought- 
ful man  and  woman  who  are  most  likely  to  assume  the 
higher  and  nobler  responsibilities  of  life,  and  their  tastes 
and  pleasures  are  never  satisfied  by  means  of  a  deck  of  cards. 

Card  playing  is  an  excessive  pleasure ;  it  is  intoxicating 
and,  therefore,  in  the  nature  of  a  vice.  It  is  generally  the 
companion  of  the  cigarette  and  the  wine  glass,  and  the  latter 
lead  to  the  poolroom  and  the  gambling  hall.  Few  men  and 
women  indulge  in  the  dangerous  pastime  of  the  card  table 
without  compromising  the  business  affairs  and  the  higher 
responsibilities  of  life.  Tell  me  what  amusements  you  like 
best  and  whether  your  amusements  have  become  a  ruling 
passion  in  your  life,  and  I  will  tell  you  what  you  are.  Few 
indulge  frequently  in  card  playing  in  whose  lives  it  does  not 
become  a  ruling  passion. 

Cards  are  the  most  perfect  and  common  instrumental- 
ities of  the  gambler  that  have  been  devised,  and  the  com- 
panionship of  cards,  unlike  the  companionship  of  most  other 
games,  is  that  of  the  gambling  den  and  the  saloon.  But  cards 
do  not  stand  alone  in  their  enticement  to  evil.  Any  game 
that  ultimately  leads  to  questionable  society,  because  it  is  the 
chief  pleasures  of  such  society,  should  be  excluded  from  the 
home.  There  are  innocent  games  enough  to  satisfy  the  re- 
quired pleasures  of  the  home  without  encouraging  card 
playing. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  38,  September  1,  1903, 
p.  529. 

STOP  CARD  PLAYING.  I  am  told  that  the  prevalence  of 
card  parties  in  the  homes  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  is  much 
greater  than  is  supposed  by  those  whom  society  people  never 
think  of  inviting  to  make  the  card  table  the  source  of  an 


414  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

evening's  pastime.  The  presiding  authorities  are  not  in- 
vited to  these  card  parties,  and,  as  a  rule,  are  not  permitted 
to  witness  them,  simply  because  those  who  give  such  parties 
feel  that  a  deck  of  cards  in  the  hands  of  a  faithful  servant 
of  God  is  a  satire  upon  religion. 

I  have  heard  that  some  who  are  called  to  officiate  in 
holy  ordinances  have,  when  absent  from  the  House  of  the 
Lord  or  when  tardy  in  arriving,  excused  themselves  because 
of  the  time  occupied  in  giving  or  attending  a  card  party. 
Those  who  thus  indulge  are  not  fit  to  administer  in  sacred 
ordinances.  They  are  no  more  worthy  than  others  who  vio- 
late good  morals  in  any  respect.  They  should  be  excused. 

I  am  told  that  young  people  offer  as  an  excuse  for 
such  questionable  pastime  the  accusation  that  cards  are 
played  in  the  homes  of  certain  leading  men  in  the  Church. 
1'ishops,  however,  ought  never  to  be  deterrred  in  their  ef- 
forts to  suppress  the  evil  by  counter  complaints  of  this  kind. 
The  bishop  has  the  same  right  to  inquire,  through  the 
means  of  his  teachers,  into  the  pleasures  of  the  homes  of 
the  highest  authorities  of  the  Church  as  he  has  into  those 
of  its  most  humble  members.  If  it  be  true  that  card  playing 
is  prevalent  in  the  Church,  the  bishops  are  charged  with  the 
responsibility  of  the  evil,  and  it  is  their  duty  to  see  that  it  is 
abolished,  or  that  men  and  women  who  encourage  it  be 
brought  to  account  before  their  brethren  and  sisters  for  the 
pernicious  example  they  are  setting  before  the  youth  of 
Zion.  Certainly  no  bishop  can  report  his  ward  in  good  con- 
dition where  such  a  practice  prevails. 

Presidents  of  stakes  are  not  without  their  responsibility 
in  this  matter,  and  at  the  general  priesthood  meetings  of  the 
stakes  they  should  make  searching  inquiry  of  the  bishops 
concerning  card  parties  in  the  homes  of  the  Saints.  It  is 
an  easy  matter  for  every  bishop  to  know  through  the  medium 
of  the  ward  teachers,  whether  there  are  any  practices  in  the 
homes  of  the  people  inconsistent  with  the  mission  of  "Mor- 


;  IMUSEMENTS  AND  FASHIONS          415 

monism,"  and  card  playing  is  certainly  inconsistent  with 
that  mission.  No  man  who  is  addicted  to  card  playing 
should  be  called  to  act  as  a  ward  teacher,  such  men  cannot 
be  consistent  advocates  of  that  which  they  do  not  themselves 
practice. 

The  card  table  has  been  the  scene  of  too  many  quar- 
rels, the  birthplace  of  too  many  hatreds,  the  occasion  of  too 
many  murders  to  admit  one  word  of  justification  for  the  ly- 
ing, cheating  spirit  which  it  too  often  engenders  in  the  hearts 
of  its  devotees. 

My  frequent  and  emphatic  expressions  on  this  subject 
are  the  result  of  the  alarm  I  have  felt  over  the. well  founded 
reports  that  have  come  to  me  concerning  the  prevalence  of 
card  playing  in  the  homes  of  some  who  profess  to  be  Latr 
ter-day  Saints.  Upon  every  officer  in  the  Church  responsi- 
bility in  any  way  for  the  dangers  of  the  card  table  is  placed, 
and  placed  heavily,  the  duty  of  doing  all  that  he  or  she  pos- 
sibly can  in  a  prayerful  and  earnest  manner  to  eradicate 
the  evil.  Let  us  be  fully  conscious  of  the  old  adage  which 
says  that  "The  devil  likes  to  souse  whatever  is  wet,"  and 
stop  card  playing  in  the  home  before  it  reaches  the  gam- 
blers' table.— Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  38,  Sept.  15,  1903, 
p.  561. 

PERNICIOUS  NATURE  OF  CARD  PLAYING.  Card  playing 
is  a  game  of  chance,  and  because  it  is  a  game  of  chance  it 
has  its  tricks.  It  encourages  tricks ;  its  devotees  measure 
their  success  at  the  table  by  their  ability  through  devious  and 
dark  ways  to  win.  It  creates  a  spirit  of  cunning  and  devises 
hidden  and  secret  means,  and  cheating  at  cards  is  almost 
synonymous  writh  playing  at  cards. 

Again,  cards  have  a  bad  reputation  and  they  are  the 
known  companions  of  bad  men.  If  no  other  reason  existed 
for  shunning  the  card  table,  its  reputation  alone  should  serve 
as  a  warning.  It  may  be  conceded  that  superb  skill  is  often 
acquired  in  this  game  of  chance,  but  this  skill  itself  endan- 


416  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

gers  the  moral  qualities  of  the  possessor  and  leads  him  on 
to  questionable  practices. 

Such  games  as  checkers  and  chess  are  games  more  of 
fixed  rules,  whose  application  are  open  and  freer  from  cun- 
ning devices.  Such  games  do  not  intoxicate  like  cards  and 
other  games  of  chance. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  38,  Octo- 
ber 1,  1903,  p.  591. 

CARDS  IN  THE  HOME.  But  if  cards  are  played  in  the 
home  and  under  the  eye  of  an  anxious  and  loving  parent, 
what  harm  can  come  from  it  all?  is  asked.  Most  vices  in 
the  beginning  take  on  attractive  and  innocent  appearing 
garbs,  and  a  'careful  examination  of  the  career  of  many  an 
unfortunate  man  will  reveal  the  first  step  of  his  misfortune 
in  some  "innocent  pastime"  whose,  vice  rarely  manifests  it- 
self in  its  infancy.  There  are  different  spirits  in  the  world 
and  the  gambling  spirit  is  one  of  them,  and  cards  have  been 
from  time  immemorial  the  most  common  and  universal  means 
of  gratifying  that  spirit.  An  "innocent  game  of  cards"  is 
the  innocent  companion  of  an  innocent  glass  of  wine  and  the 
playmate  of  tricksters. 

Again,  all  amusements  become  pernicious  when  pursued 
excessively.  No  game  in  the  world  has  been  played  a  thou- 
sandth part  of  the  time,  aye  all  the  games  in  the  world  have 
not  consumed  a  thousandth  part  of  the  time,  that  cards  have 
taken.  The  game  itself  leads  to  excessiveness ;  it  is  the  en- 
emy of  industry ;  it  is  the  foe  of  economy ;  and  the  boon 
companion  of  the  Sabbath-breaker.  The  best  possible  ex- 
cuse that  any  one  can  render  for  playing  cards  is  that  there 
is  a  possible  escape  from  the  dangers  to  which  it  leads ;  and 
the  best  explanation  that  people  can  give  for  such  a  vice  is 
the  adventurous  spirit  of  man  that  delights  in  that  which 
is  hazardous  to  his  physical  and  moral  safety. — Juvenile 
Instructor,  Vol.  38,  Oct.  1,  1903,  p.  593. 

EVIL  FASHIONS.     In  my  sight  the  present-day  fashions 


4 

AMUSEMENTS  AND  FASHIONS          417 

are  abominable,  suggestive  of  evil,  calculated  to  arouse  base 
passion  and  lust,  and  to  engender  lasciviousness,  in  the 
hearts  of  those  who  follow  the  fashions,  and  of  those  who 
tolerate  them.  Why?  Because  women  are  imitating  the 
very  customs  of  a  class  of  women  who  have  resorted  to  that 
means  to  aid  them  to  sell  their  souls.  It  is  infamous,  and  I 
hope  the  daughters  of  Zion  will  not  descend  to  these  per- 
nicious ways,  customs  and  fashions,  for  they  are  demoraliz- 
ing and  damnable  in  their  effect. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1913,  p.  8. 

IMPROPER  FASHIONS.  Please  set  the  example  before 
your  sisters  that  God  would  have  them  follow.  When  we 
teach  people  to  observe  the  laws  of  God  and  to  honor  the 
gifts  that  are  bestowed  upon  them  in  the  covenants  of  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  we  don't  want  you  teachers  to  go  out 
and  set  an  example  before  your  sisters  that  will  destroy  their 
faith  in  our  teachings.  I  hope  you  will  take  that  to  heart, 
for  it  has  a  meaning  to  it.  I  am  talking  to  the  teachers  among 
the  sisters.  We  hear  it  reported,  from  time  to  time,  that 
some  of  the  teachers  that  are  sent  out  among  our  sisters  not 
only  do  not  set  the  example  that  they  ought  to  set,  but  they 
set  the  example  that  they  should  not  set  for  our  sisters ;  they 
teach  them  by  example  to  break  the  word  of  wisdom,  rather 
than  to  keep  it.  They  teach  them  to  mutilate  their  garments, 
rather  than  to  keep  them  holy  and  undefiled,  by  setting  the 
example  before  them,  and  we  can  tell  you  the  names  if  you 
want  to  know.  I  am  not  scolding;  I  don't  want  it  to  be 
understood  that  I  am  finding  fault.  I  am  only  telling  a  sol- 
emn truth,  and  I  am  sorry  that  I  have  it  to  say,  but  I  want 
it  to  be  distinctly  understood.  We  see  some  of  our  good  sis- 
ters coming  here  to  the  temple  occasionally  decorated  in  the 
latest  and  most  ridiculous  fashions  that  ever  disgraced  the 
human  form  divine.  They  do  not  seem  to  realize  that  they 
are  coming  to  the  house  of  God,  and  we  have  to  forbid  them 
entrance,  or  find  fault  with  them,  and  they  go  away  grieved 
and  say  sometimes,  "We  don't  want  to  go  there  any  more." 

28 


418  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

. 

\\  hy  ?     Because  they  come  unprepared,  like  the  man  who 

was  found  at  the  feast  without  the  wedding  garment,  who 

also  had  to  be  turned  out  (Matt.  22 :1-14).    We  have  to  turn 

them  out  occasionally,  because  they  will  not  hearken  to  the 

counsel  that  has  been  given  to  them. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1914,  p. 

130. 

EXCLUSIVE  CLUBS  AMONG  CHURCH  MEMBERS.  There 
is  no  need  of  exclusive  clubs  among  the  Latter-day  Saints. 
The  many  auxiliary  organizations  should  be  made  to  supply 
every  legitimate  public,  and  social  amusement  of  the  young 
people,  and,  in  addition  to  the  regular  Church  and  quorum 
meetings,  should  meet  every  religious  and  ethical  educational 
need  of  our  community. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  12,  Feb- 
ruary, 1909,  p.  313. 

A  LESSON  FOR  THE  BOYS.  Self-respect  requires,  among 
other  things,  that  one  shall  behave  like  a  true  gentleman,  in 
a  house  of  worship.  No  self-respecting  person  will  go  to  a 
house  devoted  to  the  service  of  God  to  whisper,  gossip  and 
visit ;  rather,  it  is  one's  duty  to  put  on  self-restraint,  to  give 
one's  undivided  attention  to  the  speaker,  and  concentrate  the 
mind  upon  his  words  that  his  thoughts  may  be  grasped  to 
our  benefit  and  profit. 

Among  the  strong  helps  to  gain  self-respect  are  per- 
sonal purity  and  proper  thoughts  which  are  the  basis  of  all 
proper  action.  I  wish  that  all  young  men  could  appreciate 
the  value  there  is  in  this  practice,  and  in  giving  their  youth- 
ful days  to  the  service  of  the  Lord.  Growth,  development, 
progress,  self-respect,  the  esteem  and  admiration  of  men 
naturally  follow  such  a  course  in  youth.  The  Savior  set  a 
striking  example  in  this  matter,  and  was  early  about  his 
Father's  business.  He  did  not  leave  it  until  his  older  years, 
but  even  as  early  as  twevle  he  had  developed  so  far  in  this 
line  that  he  was  able  to  teach  men  of  wisdom  and  doctors 
of  knowledge  in  the  femplc.  Samuel,  the  prophet,  had  so 
prepared  himself  by  a  pure,  self-respecting  childhood  that  he 


AMUSEMENTS  AND  FASHIONS          419 

was  perfectly  attuned  to  the  whisperings  of  God.  The  shep- 
herd youth  David  was  chosen  above  his  older  brethren  to 
serve  in  high  places  in  the  Master's  cause.  Other  great 
characters  in  history  were  also  selected  early  in  life;  and 
the  best  men  in  all  ages  gave  their  young  manhood  to  the 
service  of  God  who  honored  them  abundantly  with  com- 
mendation and  approval.  In  more  modern  times  the  Lord 
chose  Joseph  Smith  in  early  youth  to  be  the  founder  of  the 
new  and  glorious  dispensation  of  the  gospel.  Brigham 
Young  was  but  a  youth  when  he  determined  to  devote  his 
life  to  the  Church;  John  Taylor,  Wilford  Woodruff,  and  in 
fact  all  the  early  founders  of  the  Church  devoted  their  youth 
and  manhood  to  the  cause  of  Zion.  You  may  look  around 
you  today,  and  who  are  the  leaders  among  the  people  but 
those  who  early  and  zealously  devoted  themselves  to  the 
faith?  And  you  may  foretell  who  are  to  be  the  leaders  by 
observing  the  boys  who  show  self-respect  and  purity  and 
who  are  earnest  in  all  good  works.  The  Lord  will  not  choose 
men  from  any  other  class  of  his  people  and  exalt  them  into 
prominence.  The  opposite  course,  waiting  to  serve  the 
Lord  until  the  wild  oats  of  youth  are  sown,  is  reprehensible. 
There  is  always  something  lacking  in  the  man  who  spends 
his  youth  in  wickedness  and  sin,  and  then  turns  to  right- 
eousness in  later  years.  Of  course,  the  Lord  honors  his  re- 
pentance, and  it  is  better  far  that  a  man  should  late  turn  from 
evil  than  to  continue  in  sin  all  his  days,  but  the  fact  is  clear 
that  the  best  part  of  his  life  and  strength  are  wasted,  and 
there  remains  only  poor,  broken  service  to  offer  the  Lord. 
There  are  regrets  and  heartburnings  in  repenting  late  in 
life  from  the  follies  and  sins  of  youth,  but  there  are  consola- 
tion and  rich  reward  in  serving  the  Lord  in  the  vigorous 
days  of  early  manhood. 

Self-respect,  deference  for  sacred  things,  and  personal 
purity  are  the  beginnings  and  the  essence  of  wisdom.  The 
doctrines  of  the  gospel,  the  Church  restraint,  are  like  school- 


420  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

masters  to  keep  us  in  the  line  of  duty.  If  it  were  not  for 
these  schoolmasters,  we  would  perish  and  be  overcome  by 
the  evil  about  us.  We  see  men  who  have  freed  themselves 
from  Church  rstraint  and  from  the  precious  doctrines  of  the 
gospel,  who  perish  about  us  every  day !  They  boast  of  free- 
dom, but  are  the  slaves  of  sin. 

Let  me  admonish  you  to  permit  the  gospel  schoolmaster 
to  teach  you  self-respect  and  to  keep  you  pure  and  free 
from  secret  sins  that  bring  not  only  physical  punishment, 
but  sure  spiritual  death.  You  cannot  hide  the  penalty  which 
God  has  affixed  to  them — a  penalty  often  worse  than  death. 
It  is  the  loss  of  self-respect,  it  is  physical  debility,  it  is  insan- 
ity, indifference  to  all  powers  that  are  good  and  noble — all 
these  follow  in  the  wake  of  the  sinner  in  secret,  and  of  the 
unchaste.  Unchastity,  furthermore,  not  only  fixes  its  pen- 
alty on  the  one  who  transgresses,  but  reaches  out  unerring 
punishment  to  the  third  and  fourth  generation,  making  not 
only  the  transgressor  a  wreck,  but  mayhap  involving  scores 
of  people  in  his  direct  line  of  relationship,  disrupting  family 
ties,  breaking  the  hearts  of  parents,  and  causing  a  black 
stream  of  sorrow  to  overwhelm  their  lives. 

Such  a  seeming  simple  thing,  then,  as  proper  conduct 
in  a  house  of  worship  leads  to  good  results  in  many  respects. 
Good  conduct  leads  to  self-respect,  which  creates  purity  of 
thought  and  action.  Pure  thought  and  noble  action  lead  to  a 
desire  to  serve  God  in  the  strength  of  manhood  and  to  be- 
comes subservient  to  the  schoolmasters,  Church  restraint, 
and  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel  of  Christ. — Improvement 
Era,  Vol.  9,  1905-6,  pp.  337-339. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

Love  Your  Enemies. 

WE  ARE  NOT  DISCOURAGED.  We  are  not  disheartened, 
we  are  not  discouraged,  we  are  not  faint-hearted.  We  be- 
lieve in  the  Lord  and  we  know  that  he  is  mighty  to  save,  that 
he  has  guided  the  destinies  of  this  people  from  the  first  mo- 
ment until  the  present,  and  that  it  is  not  in  consequence  of 
the  wisdom  of  men  that  we  have  escaped  the  plots,  schemes 
and  machinations  of  our  enemies,  and  that  we  have  been 
permitted  to  live  and  grow  in  the  land,  to  become  what  we 
are,  but  it  is  through  the  wisdom,  mercy  and  blessing  of  Him 
who  rules  the  destinies  not  only  of  men  but  of  nations.  We 
owe  all  to  God;  we  extend  our  thankfulness  and  gratitude 
to  him  for  the  manifestations  of  his  love  and  care  and  pro- 
tection.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1906,  p.  2. 

I  FORGIVE  ALL  MEN.  I  feel  in  my  heart  to  forgive  all 
men  in  the  broad  sense  that  God  requires  of  me  to  forgive 
all  men,  and  I  desire  to  love  my  neighbor  as  myself ;  and  to 
this  extent  I  bear  no  malice  toward  any  of  the  children  of  my 
Father.  But  there  are  enemies  to  the  work  of  the  Lord,  as 
there  were  enemies  to  the  Son  of  God.  There  are  those  who 
speak  only  evil  of  the  Latter-day  Saints.  There  are  those — 
and  they  abound  largely  in  our  midst — who  will  shut  their 
eyes  to  every  virtue  and  to  every  good  thing  connected  with 
this  latter-day  work,  and  will  pour  out  floods  of  falsehood 
and  misrepresentation  against  the  people  of  God.  I  forgive 
them  for  this.  I  leave  them  in  the  hands  of  the  just  Judge. 
Let  him  deal  with  them  as  seemeth  him  good,  but  they  are 
not  and  cannot  become  my  bosom  companions.  I  cannot 
condescend  to  that.  While  I  would  not  harm  a  hair  of  their 
head,  while  I  would  not  throw  a  straw  in  their  path,  to  hinder 


422  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

them  from  turning  from  the  error  of  their  way  to  the  light 
of  truth;  I  would  as  soon  think  of  taking  a  centipede  or  a 
scorpion,  or  any  poisonous  reptile,  and  putting  it  into  my 
bosom,  as  I  would  think  of  becoming  a  companion  or  an 
associate  of  such  men. 

These  are  my  sentiments,  and  I  believe  that  they  are 
correct.  If  you  can  throw  yourself  in  the  way  of  the  sinner 
to  stop  him  in  his  downward  course,  and  become  an  instru- 
ment in  the  hand  of  the  Lord  of  turning  him  from  the  way 
of  vice,  iniquity,  or  crime,  into  the  way  of  righteousness  and 
uprightness,  you  are  justified,  and  that  is  demanded  of  you. 
You  should  do  this.  If  you  can  save  a  sinner  from  his 
wickedness,  turn  the  wicked  from  the  course  of  death  that 
he  is  pursuing,  to  the  way  of  life  and  salvation,  you  will 
save  a  soul  from  death,  and  you  will  have  been  an  instrument 
in  the  hand  of  the  Lord  of  turning  the  sinner  unto  right- 
eousness, for  which  you  will  receive  your  reward.  Some  of 
our  good  Latter-day  Saints  have  become  so  exceedingly 
good(  ?)  that  they  cannot  tell  the  difference  between  a  Saint 
of  God,  an  honest  man,  and  a  son  of  Beelzebub,  who  has 
yielded  himself  absolutely  to  sin  and  wickedness.  And  they 
call  that  liberality,  broadness  of  mind,  exceeding  love.  I  do 
not  want  to  become  so  blinded  with  love  for  my  enemies  that 
I  cannot  discern  between  light  and  darkness,  between  truth 
and  error,  between  good  and  evil,  but  I  hope  to  live  so  that 
I  shall  have  sufficient  light  in  me  to  discern  between  error 
and  truth,  and  to  cast  my  lot  on  the  side  of  truth  and  not  on 
the  side  of  error  and  darkness.  The  Lord  bless  the  Latter- 
day  Saints.  If  I  am  too  narrow  with  reference  to  these 
matters,  I  hope  that  the  wisdom  of  my  brethren  and  the 
Spirit  of  Light  from  the  Lord  may  broaden  the  soul. — 
Oct.  C.  R.,  1907,  pp.  5,  6. 

WE  LEAVE  OUR  ENEMIES  IN  GOD'S  HANDS.    We  thank 
God  for  his  mercies  and  blessings;  and  I  do  not  know  but 


LOVE  YOUR  ENEMIES  423 

what  we  owe  in  some  small  degree  gratitude  to  those  who 
have  bitterly  opposed  the  work  of  the  Lord ;  for  in  all  their 
opposings  and  bitter  strife  against  our  people,  the  Lord  has 
developed  his  power  and  wisdom,  and  has  brought  his  people 
more  fully  into  the  knowledge  and  favor  of  the  intelligent 
people  of  the  earth.  Through  the  very  means  used  by  those 
who  have  opposed  the  work  of  God,  he  has  brought  out 
good  for  Zion.  Yet  it  is  written,  and  I  believe  it  is  true, 
that  although  it  must  needs  be  that  offenses  come,  woe  unto 
them  by  whom  they  come ;  but  they  are  in  the  hands  of  the 
Lord  as  we  are.  We  bring  no  railing  accusation  against 
them.  We  are  willing  to  leave  them  in  the  hands  of  the 
Almighty  to  deal  with  them  as  seemeth  him  good.  Our 
business  is  to  work  righteousness  in  the  earth,  to  seek  for 
the  development  of  a  knowledge  of  God's  will  and  of  God's 
ways,  and  of  his  great  and  glorious  truths  which  he  has 
revealed  through  the  instrumentality  of  Joseph  the  Prophet, 
not  only  for  the  salvation  of  the  living  but  for  the  redemp- 
tion and  salvation  of  the  dead. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1908,  p.  2. 

LEAVE  RESULTS  IN  GOD'S  HANDS.  God  will  deal  with 
them  in  his  own  time  and  in  his  own  way,  and  we  only 
need  to  do  our  duty,  keep  the  faith  ourselves,  to  work  right- 
eousness in  the  world  ourselves,  and  leave  the  results  in  the 
hands  of  him  who  overruleth  all  things  for  the  good  of 
those  who  love  him  and  keep  his  commandments. — Apr.  C. 
R.f  1905,  p.  6. 

OUR  DEBT  TO  OUR  ENEMIES.  I  was  going  to  say  that 
we  did  not  owe  anything  to  our  enemies ;  that  was  the  first 
thought  that  sprang  into  my  mind,  but  I  will  hold  that  back. 
I  think  wre  owe  something  to  our  enemies,  too,  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  cause  of  Zion,  for  up  to  date  everything 
that  has  been  done  to  thwart  the  purposes  of  God  and  to 
frustrate  his  designs  has  been  overruled  for  the  good  of 
Zion  and  for  the  spread  of  truth.  And  that  will  continue 


424  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

to  be  the  case  until  the  end,  for  they  are  fighting  God's 
work,  and  not  mine  nor  that  of  any  other  man. — Oct.  C.  R., 
1906,  p.  2. 

A  PRAYER  FOR  OUR  ENEMIES.  Let  the  Lord  God  have 
mercy  upon  those  who  seek  to  hurt  the  cause  of  Zion.  O 
God,  pity  the  misguided,  the  erring,  the  foolish,  the  unwise. 
Put  thy  Spirit  in  their  hearts,  turn  them  from  the  error  of 
their  ways  and  from  their  follies,  and  bring  them  back  into 
the  way  of  righteousness  and  into  thy  favor.  I  ask  mercy 
for  my  enemies — those  who  lie  about  me  and  slander  me, 
and  who  speak  all  manner  of  evil  against  me  falsely.  In 
return,  I  beseech  God  my  heavenly  Father  to  have  mercy 
upon  them ;  for  those  who  do  it,  not  knowing  what  they  are 
doing,  are  only  misguided,  and  those  who  are  doing  it  with 
their  eyes  open  certainly  need,  most  of  all,  the  mercy,  com- 
passion and  pity  of  God.  May  God  pity  them.  May  he  have 
mercy  upon  them.  I  would  not  harm  a  hair  of  their  heads, 
for  all  I  am  worth  in  the  world.  I  would  not  throw  a  block 
in  their  way  to  prosperity.  No ;  and  I  beseech  my  brethren 
that  they  keep  hands  off  the  enemies  of  our  people  and  those 
who  are  paving  their  own  road  to  destruction  and  will  not 
repent,  who  are  sinning  with  their  eyes  open,  who  know  that 
they  are  transgressing  the  laws  of  God  and  villifying  and  ly- 
ing against  the  servants  of  the  Lord.  Have  mercy  upon 
them.  Do  not  touch  them ;  for  that  is  just  what  they  would 
like.  Let  them  alone.  Let  them  go.  Give  them  the  liberty 
of  speech  they  want.  Let  them  tell  their  own  story,  and 
write  their  own  doom.  We  can  afford  it.  They  do  not  hurt 
us,  and  if  it  affords  them  any  amusement,  I  am  sure  they 
are  welcome  to  it.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1905,  p.  95. 

THE  GOLDEN  RULE.  We  need  mercy ;  then  let  us  be 
merciful.  We  need  charity ;  let  us  be  charitable.  We  need 
forgiveness ;  let  us  forgive.  Let  us  do  unto  others  what  we 
would  that  they  should  do  unto  us.  Let  us  welcome  the  new 


LOVE  YOUR  ENEMIES  425 

year  and  dedicate  to  it  our  best  efforts,  our  loyal  service,  our 
love  and  fellowship,  and  our  supplication  for  the  welfare  and 
happiness  of  all  mankind. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  46,  Jan- 
uary, 1911,  p.  16. 

WHY  THE  WORLD  DOES  NOT  LOVE  Us.  "If  ye  were 
of  the  world,  the  world  would  love  its  own ;  but  because  ye 
are  not  of  the  world,  but  I' have  chosen  you  out  of  the  world, 
therefore  the  world  hateth  you"  (John  15  :19).  The  followers 
of  Jesus  were  his  chosen  people,  and  because  they  were  chosen 
by  him,  the  world  hated  them.  The  Jews  were  the  chosen 
people  of  God,  and  because  they  were  his  chosen  people 
the  world  hated  them.  Nowhere  in  the  world  today  is 
the  word  Jew  wholly  disassociated  with  the  feeling  of  con- 
tempt. The  feelings  may  differ  greatly  in  degree,  but  they 
are  all  of  one  kind.  The  word  "Mormon,"  or  Latter-day 
Saint,  is  everywhere  likewise  associated  with  feelings  of 
contempt.  Contempt  is  the  heritage  of  a  chosen  people. 
Ought  we  therefore  to  court  the  contempt  of  the  world? 
By  no  means.  On  the  other  hand,  we  should  not  be  dis- 
couraged because  it  comes  to  us  unsought.  Some  of  our 
friends — mostly  in  the  Church,  some  few  out  of  it — would 
lift  us  out  of  the  contempt  of  the  world,  and  keep  us  out  of 
it,  if  we  would  simply  be  governed  by  their  counsels.  The 
truth  is,  we  are  not  strangers  to  hatred;  and  the  contempt 
of  the  world  has  been  our  lot  so  much  that  we  have  no 
reason  to  be  discouraged  when  it  comes,  even  in  violent 
forms.  The  danger  lies  not  so  much  in  our  own  peculiarity 
as  in  the  disposition  of  many  of  our  people  to  court  popular- 
ity at  all  costs,  as  if  it  were  something  devoutly  to  be 
wished  for.  There  is  too  often  a  timid  submission  before 
the  indignation  storms  that  occasionally  sweep  over  the 
country. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  39,  August,  1904,  p.  464. 

•LOVE  ONE  ANOTHER.  Let  us,  brethren,  love  one  an- 
other, and  exercise  patience  and  forbearance,  avoiding  judg- 
ment, except  when  called  upon  to  render  it,  and  then  tem- 


426  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

pering  the  law  with  a  father's  love.  The  Latter-day  Saints 
must  be  promoters  of  both  law  and  religion,  as  exemplified 
in  the  justice  and  mercy  of  God. — Improvement  Era,  Vol. 
6,  1903,  p.  550. 

KEEP  ALOOF  FROM  THE  WICKED.  We  should  keep  our- 
selves aloof  from  the  wicked;  the  dividing  line  should  be 
distinctly  drawn  between  God  and  Belial,  between  Christ  and 
the  world,  between  truth  and  error,  and  between  right  and 
wrong.  We  ought  to  cleave  to  the  right,  to  the  good,  to 
the  truth,  and  forsake  the  evil. — Deseret  Weekly  News, 
Vol.  31,  1882,  p.  674. 

THE  ENEMIES  TO  FEAR.  For  my  part  I  do  not  fear  the 
influence  of  our  enemies  from  without,  as  I  fear  that  of  those 
from  within.  An  open  and  avowed  enemy,  whom  we  may  see 
and  meet  in  an  open  field,  is  far  less  to  be  feared  than  a  lurk- 
ing, deceitful,  treacherous  enemy  hidden  within  us,  such  as  are 
many  of  the  weaknesses  of  our  fallen  human  nature,  which 
are  too  often  allowed  to  go  unchecked,  beclouding  our  minds, 
leading  away  our  affections  from  God  and  his  truth,  until 
they  sap  the  very  foundations  of  our  faith  and  debase  us 
beyond  the  possibility  or  hope  of  redemption,  either  in  this 
world  or  that  to  come.  These  are  the  enemies  that  we  all 
have  to  battle  with,  they  are  the  greatest  that  we  have  to 
contend  with  in  the  world,  and  the  most  difficult  to  conquer. 
They  are  the  fruits  of  ignorance,  generally  arising  out  of 
unrebuked  sin  and  evil  in  our  own  hearts.  The  labor  that  is 
upon  us  is  to  subdue  our  ^passions,  conquer  our  inward 
foes,  and  see  that  our  hearts  are  right  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord,  that  there  is  nothing  calculated  to  grieve  his  Spirit 
and  lead  us  away  from  the  path  of  duty. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
Education  and  Industrial  Pursuits 

WE  ARE  EVER  LEARNING.  We  are  not  "ever  learning 
and  never  coming  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth."  On  the  con- 
trary, we  are  ever  learning  and  are  ever  drawing  nearer  to 
a  proper  comprehension  of  the  truth,  the  duty  and  the  re- 
sponsibility that  devolve  upon  members  of  the  Church  who 
are  called  to  responsible  positions  in  it.  Not  only  does  this 
apply  to  those  members  who  are  called  to  act  in  responsi- 
ble positions,  but  it  applies  to  those  who  may  be  termed  "lay 
members,"  if  we  may  use  such  a  term  with  reference  to  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 

Who  is  there,  under  the  circumstances  that  exist  around 
us,  that  is  not  growing  ?  Who  is  there  of  us  that  is  not  learn- 
ing something  day  by  day?  Who  is  there  of  us  that  is  not 
gaining  experience  as  we  pass  along,  and  are  attending  to 
the  duties  of  membership  in  the  Church,  and  to  the  duties 
of  citizens  of  our  state,  and  citizens  of  our  great  and  glo- 
rious nation?  It  seems  to  me  that  it  would  be  a  very  sad 
comment  upon  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints  and  her  people  to  suppose  for  a  moment  that  we  are 
at  a  standstill,  that  we  have  ceased  to  grow,  ceased  to  im- 
prove and  to  advance  in  the  scale  of  intelligence,  and  in  the 
faithful  performance  of  duty  in  every  condition  in  which  we 
are  placed  as  a  people  and  as  members  of  the  Church  of 
Christ.— Oc*.  C.  R.,  1915,  p.  2. 

ADDRESS  ON  IGNORANCE.  The  subject  which  has  been 
dwelt  upon  is  a  broad  one :  "What  can  be  done  to  stem  the 
tide  of  evil  that  is  sweeping  through  the  land?"  I  appre- 
hend that  one  of  the  greatest  evils  existing,  that  is  "sweep- 
ing through  the  land,"  is  that  of  ignorance,  coupled  with  in- 


428  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

difference.  I  presume  that  if  the  ignorant  were  not  so  in- 
different to  these  facts  and  to  their  condition  they  might  be 
prompted  to  learn  more  than  they  do.  The  trouble  with 
men  and  women  is  that  they  too  frequently  close  their  eyes 
to  the  facts  that  exist  around  them,  and  it  seems  to  be  very 
difficult  for  many  of  the  people  to  learn  and  adapt  to  their 
lives  those  simple  truths  that  should  be  in  fact  the  household 
words  and  precepts  of  every  Latter-day  Saint,  and  of  every 
home  of  a  Latter-day  Saint.  How  shall  we  stem  the  tide  of 
this  evil,  this  indifference,  this  consequent  ignorance.  It 
appears  to  me  that  the  only  way  to  do  it  is  to  wake  up  and 
become  interested,  or  to  interest  ourselves  in  those  things 
which  are  so  important  and  necessary  to  the  happiness  and 
well-being  of  the  children  of  men,  especially  that  which  is  so 
needful  for  the  happiness  and  well  being  of  ourselves  indi- 
vidually. 

It  isn't  all  that  is  necessary,  to  learn  the  truth  or  to 
cease  to  be  ignorant.  Following  that  comes  the  application 
of  the  understanding  and  knowledge  that  we  gain,  to  those 
works  and  things  that  are  needful  for  our  protection  and 
for  the  protection  of  our  children,  our  neighbors,  our  homes, 
our  happiness. 

I  see  occasionally,  as  I  walk  out  in  the  evening,  crowds 
of  little  girls  and  boys  who  seem  to  me  from  their  appear- 
ance as  not  yet  having  reached  their  teens,  little  boys  and 
little  girls  perhaps  from  ten  to  fourteen,  and  perhaps  some 
of  them  older,  in  defiance  of  the  curfew  law,  playing  in  the 
streets,  loitering  together  in  shady  nooks,  in  alleys,  in  the 
recesses  about  their  homes  or  the  homes  of  somebody  else. 
This  I  apprehend  is  an  evil,  a  very  serious  evil.  How  will 
you  stem  it?  How  can  it  be  prevented? — M.  I.  A.  Confer- 
ence, 1910;  Young  Woman's  Journal,  Vol.  21,  pp.  403-406. 

THE  VALUE  OF  PRACTICAL  EDUCATION.  I  have  often 
thought  of  the  undesirableness  of  the  young  men  of  our  com- 
munity seeking  for  light  employments,  and  lucrative  posi- 


EDUCATION,  INDUSTRIAL  PURSUITS    429 

tions,  without  regard  to  manual  and  mechanical  skill,  and 
knowledge  and  ability  in  agriculture. 

None  can  deny  that  there  is  too  great  a  tendency  among 
the  young  men,  especially  in  our  larger  cities,  to  seek  the 
lighter  employments.  Politics,  law,  medicine,  trade,  clerk- 
ing, banking,  are  needful  and  good  in  their  place,  but  we 
need  builders,  mechanics  farmers,  and  men  who  can  use 
their  powers  to  produce  something  for  the  use  of  man. 

Salaried  positions,  in  which  little  responsibility  is  re- 
quired, are  well  enough  for  young  men  who  are  making  a 
beginning,  but  it  should  be  the  ambition  of  all  to  get  out  and 
take  upon  themselves  responsibility,  and  to  become  inde- 
pendent, by  themselves  becoming  producers,  and  skilful 
workers. 

If  life  is  valuable  in  comparison  with  the  experience  we 
obtain,  every  youth  will  increase  the  worth  of  his  life  in  pro- 
portion to  the  new  obstacles  that  he  is  able  to  conquer.  In  a 
routine,  there  are  no  difficulties  to  encounter;  neither  is 
there  profit  to  the  mind  or  body  in  the  sameness  of  depend- 
ent positions.  But  let  the  man  who  would  grow  and  develop, 
go  forth  into  the  practical  and  productive  ways  of  life. 
These  will  lead  to  broadmindedness  and  independence,  while 
the  other  road  ends  in  narrowness  and  dependence. 

And  here,  also,  a  word  to  parents  who  have  daughters. 
Are  you  fitting  them  for  the  practical  duties  of  mother  and 
wife,  that  they  may  in  due  time  go  out  and  make  homes 
what  they  should  be?  Or  are  you  training  your  daughters 
to  play  the  lady  by  making  them  accomplished  in  flourishes, 
and  expert  in  ostentatious  embellishments  ?  Is  mother  doing 
all  the  work?  If  you  say  yes  to  the  last  two  questions,  you 
are  not  doing  your  full  duty  to  your  child.  For,  while  ac- 
complishment and  polished  grace,  attainments  in  music  and 
art,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  sciences,  are  good  and  useful  in 
their  place,  it  is  not  intended  that  these  shall  replace  the  com- 
mon labors  of  life.  Where  children  are  so  trained,  their 


430  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

parents  have  done  them  a  positive  injustice,  of  which  both 
the  children  and  the  parents  may  live  to  be  ashamed. 

While  we  are  educating  our  children  in  all  that  may  be 
termed  the  beautiful  in  science  and  art,  we  should  not  fail 
to  insist  that  they  shall  learn  to  do  practical  things,  and  that 
they  do  not  despise  the  common  labors  of  life.  Any  other 
course  toward  them  is  an  injustice  to  the  boys  and  girls,  as 
well  as  to  ourselves  and  the  community  in  general. 

I  believe  the  morals  of  the  people  will  improve  as  skill 
in  workmanship  and  productive  labors  is  acquired.  Parents, 
too,  will  find  it  easier  to  govern  and  control  their  children, 
if  these  are  trained  in  useful  manual  labor.  We  shall  not 
then  witness  the  sad  spectacle  of  young  men  loafing  about 
our  cities  hunting  for  some  easy  place  that  just  suits  their 
notions  of  work,  which,  if  they  can  not  find,  they  will  not 
labor  at  all,  but  go  without  in  idleness.  Mischief  and  devil- 
ment, frequently  so  common  because  the  hands  are  unem- 
ployed, will  decrease,  and  better  order  will  prevail. 

Thus,  while  not  decrying  education  in  the  aesthetic  sense, 
I  think  it  is  a  serious  duty  devolving  upon  parents  and  those 
who  have  educational  matters  in  hand  to  provide  a  supple- 
mental if  not  a  co-ordinate  course  in  practical  labor  for 
every  boy  and  girl,  which  shall  make  them  proficient  in  hand- 
iwork, and  enable  them  to  expend  their  powers  in  the., pro- 
duction of  something  for  the  material  use  and  benefit  of  man. 
— Improvement  Era,  Vol.  6,  January,  1903,  p.  229. 

PRACTICAL  EDUCATION  ADVOCATED.  I  desire  again  to 
say  that  I  would  be  pleased  to  see  more  of  our  young  men 
learning  trades  instead  of  trying  to  learn  professions,  such 
as  the  profession  of  law,  or  of  medicine,  or  other  profes- 
sions. I  would  rather  a  man  would  become  a  good  mechanic, 
a  good  builder,  a  good  machinist,  a  good  surveyor,  a  good 
farmer,  a  good  blacksmith,  or  a  good  artisan  of  any  kind 
than  to  see  him  follow  these  other  kinds  of  professions.  We 
need,  however,  those  who  are  capable  of  teaching  in  the 


EDUCATION,  INDUSTRIAL  PURSUITS    431 

schools,  and  I  would  like  to  see  a  greater  interest  manifested 
by  our  young  men  and  women  in  normal  training,  that  they 
might  become  proficient  teachers  and  look  forward  to  fol- 
lowing this  profession,  because  it  is  a  most  important  one, 
and  great  results  will  follow  the  faithful  performance  of  the 
duties  and  labors  of  those  who  are  engaged  in  it.  The  train- 
ing of  our  young,  the  giving  of  proper  instruction  to  those 
who  are  seeking  education,  and  creating  facilities  in  our 
midst  for  all  who  desire  not  only  the  common  branches  of 
education,  but  the  higher  branches,  that  they  may  obtain 
these  privileges  and  benefits  at  home  instead  of  being  com- 
pelled to  go  abroad  to  complete  their  education. 

Some  of  our  friends  took  very  grievous  offense  at  what 
I  said  in  respect  to  some  of  these  things  last  April,  I  believe. 
I  was  sorry  to  hear  what  they  said  in  relation  to  this.  Why, 
bless  your  soul,  the  counsel  that  I  gave  last  April  in  relation 
to  these  matters  was  in  the  interest  of  all  parties  and  of  all 
professions.  I  did  not  speak  a  disrespectful  word  of  any 
profession.  I  simply  advised,  and  I  still  advise,  the  young 
men  of  Zion  to  become  artisans  rather  than  to  become  law- 
yers. I  repeat  it ;  and  yet  I  would  to  God  that  every  intelli- 
gent man  among  the  Latter-day  Saints  was  able  to  read  law 
and  to  be  his  own  lawyer.  I  wish  that  every  young  man 
could  and  would  study  and  become  familiar  with  the  laws  of 
his  state  and  with  the  laws  of  his  nation,  and  with  the  laws 
of  other  nations.  You  cannot  learn  too  much  in  these  direc- 
tions; but  I  think  there  are  too  many  trying  to  be  lawyers, 
for  the  good  of  that  profession.  They  are  eating  one  another 
up,  to  some  extent.  Not  long  ago  a  young  man  who  had 
studied  law  and  hung  out  his  shingle  here,  after  waiting  for 
business,  trying  to  stir  up  business  for  some  length  of  time, 
came  so  near  starving  himself  and  family  that  he  came  and 
wanted  to  know  what  to  do.  He  could  not  make  a  living 
in  the  profession  of  law.  I  asked  him  if  he  knew  how  to 
do  anything  else.  He  said  yes,  he  was  a  good  printer.  Well, 


432  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

then,  I  said,  abandon  the  profession  of  law  and  take  up  the 
profession  of  printing;  do  something  that  you  can  do  and 
that  you  can  make  a  living  at.  If  he  had  any  practice  at 
all  in  law  my  counsel  to  him,  if  he  had  obeyed  it — and  he  did 
—would  have  been  a  benefit  to  those  who  remained  in  the 
profession.  There  are  some  men,  most  honorable,  most  gen- 
uine, and  most  intelligent,  who  are  following  the  profession 
of  the  law.  I  wish  I  could  say  that  much  of  all. 

Then,  my  brethren  and  sisters,  get  out  of  debt.  My 
young  friends,  learn  to  become  skilful  in  the  arts  and  in 
mechanics  and  in  something  that  will  be  material,  useful  in 
building  up  the  commonwealth  where  we  live  and  where  all 
our  interests  are  centered. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1903,  pp.  5,  6. 

BOYS  SHOULD  BE  TAUGHT  THE  ARTS  OF  INDUSTRY.  One 
of  the  things  that  I  think  is  very  necessary  is  that  we  should 
teach  our  boys  mechanism,  teach  them  the  arts  of  industry, 
and  not  allow  our  sons  to  grow  up  with  the  idea  that  there 
is  nothing  honorable  in  labor,  except  it  be  in  the  professions 
of  law,  or  in  some  other  light,  practically  unproductive,  and 
I  was  going  to  say,  unremunerative  employment,  but  I  know 
of  scarcely  any  employment  more  remunerative  than  is  the 
practice  of  law  to  those,  at  least,  who  are  proficient.  But 
what  do  they  do  to  build  up  the  country?  What  do  they 
produce  to  benefit  the  world?  There  may  be  a  few  of 
them  who  have  farms ;  there  may  be  a  few  of  them  who  have 
manufactories;  there  may  be  a  few  of  them  who  may  be 
interested  and  engaged  in  other  productive  labor,  something 
that  will  build  up  the  country  and  the  people  and  establish 
permanence,  stability  and  prosperity  in  the  land;  but  the 
vast  majority  of  them  are  leeches  upon  the  body  politic  and 
are  worthless  as  to  the  building  up  of  any  community.  There 
are  a  good  many  of  our  boys  who  feel  that  they  could  not  be 
farmers,  and  that  the  pursuit  of  farming  and  stock-raising- 
is  beneath  their  dignity.  There  are  some  who  think  it  is 


EDUCATION,  INDUSTRIAL  PURSUITS    433 

menial  and  low  for  them  to  engage  in  building  enterprises 
as  masons,  carpenters,  or  builders  in  general. 

There  are  but  a  few  of  our  boys  who  take  to  the  ham- 
mer and  to  the  anvil  and  to  those  pursuits  of  labor  that  are 
essential  to  the  permanence  of  any  community  in  the  world 
and  that  are  necessary  to  build  up  the  country. 

I  say  that  we  are  remiss  and  slack  in  relation  to  these 
things,  that  we  are  not  instilling  them  sufficiently  in  the 
minds  of  our  children,  and  that  we  are  not  giving  them  the 
opportunity  that  they  should  enjoy  of  learning  how  to  pro- 
duce from  the  earth  and  the  materials  that  are  on  the  face 
of  it  or  in  the  bowels  of  it,  that  which  is  necessary  for  the 
advancement  and  prosperity  of  mankind.  Some  of  us  have 
the  idea  that  it  is  degrading  for  our  daughters  to  learn  how 
to  cook,  how  to  keep  house,  or  to  make  a  dress,  apron  or 
bonnet,  if  necessary.  No;  daughters  in  families  that  are 
blessed  with  plenty  of  means  are  taught  to  play  the  piano, 
to  sing,  to  go  out  in  society  and  spend  their  time  in  idle,  use- 
less pleasure,  instead  of  being  taught  how  to  be  economical, 
industrious  and  frugal,  and  how  to  become  good  housewives. 
That  is  degrading !  I  would  like  to  say  to  this  congregation, 
and  to  the  world,  that  if  I  possessed  millions  of  dollars  I 
would  not  be  satisfied  or  content  in  my  mind  unless  my 
boys  knew  how  to  do  something  that  would  bring  them  in 
a  living,  how  to  handle  a  pitchfork,  or  to  run  a  mowing 
machine  or  reaper,  or  how  to  plow  the  ground  and  sow  the 
seed ;  nor  would  I  be  satisfied  if  my  daughters  did  not  know 
how  to  keep  a  house.  I  would  be  ashamed  of  my  children 
if  they  did  not  know  something  of  these  things. 

We  need  manual  training  schools  instead  of  so  much 
book-learning  and  the  stuffing  of  fairy  tales  and  fables 
which  are  contained  in  many  of  our  school  books  of  today. 
If  we  would  devote  more  money  and  time,  more  energy  and 
attention  to  teaching  our  children  manual  labor  in  our 


29 


434  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

schools  than  we  do,  it  would  be  a  better  thing  for  the  rising 
generation. 

There  are  many  subjects  of  this  character,  in  addition 
to  the  principles  of  the  gospel  of  eternal  truth  and  the  plan 
of  life  and  salvation,  that  can  be  dwelt  upon  with  profit  by 
those  who  may  speak  to  us.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1903,. pp.  2,  3. 

MANUAL  TRAINING  AND  AGRICULTURE.  We  want  to 
make  these  valleys  of  the  mountains  teem  with  the  prod- 
ucts of  our  own  labor,  and  skill,  and  intelligence.  I  believe 
it  to  be  suicidal  for  us  to  patronize  those  who  are  at  a  dis- 
tance from  us,  when  we  should  and  could  go  to  work  and 
organize  our  labor  and  produce  everything  at  home ;  we 
might  thereby  give  employment  to  everybody  at  home,  de- 
velop the  intelligence  and  the  skill  of  our  children,  instead 
of  letting  them  hunt  after  these  fancy  occupations  that  so 
many  young  people  desire  above  manual  labor.  The  schools 
of  the  Latter-day  Saints  and  some  of  the  state  schools  ire 
beginning  to  introduce  manual  labor.  Some  of  our  boys 
are  learning  how  to  make  tables,  chairs,  sofas,  book-cases, 
bureaus  and  all  that  sort  of  thing — all  good  as  far  as  it  goes ; 
but  if  we  want  a  mason  to  lay  brick,  we  have  to  look 
mostly  to  some  man  that  has  come  from  England  or  Ger- 
many, or  from  somewhere  else,  to  lay  our  brick.  Why  ?  Be- 
cause our  boys  do  not  like  to  lay  brick.  If  we  want  a  good 
blacksmith,  we  must  hunt  up  some  foreigner  who  has  learned 
the  trade  in  his  mother  country,  and  who  has  come  here  with 
knowledge  of  blacksmithing ;  we  must  find  such  a  man  before 
we  can  get  blacksmithing  done,  because  boys  do  not  like  to 
be  blacksmiths.  They  don't  like  even  to  be  farmers ;  they 
would  rather  be  lawyers  or  doctors  than  to  be  farmers.  This 
is  the  case  with  too  many  of  our  boys,  and  it  is  a  great  mis- 
take. I  hope  the  time  will  come  when  the  children  of  "'lie 
Latter-day  Saints  will  learn  that  all  labor  that  is  necessary 
for  the  happiness  of  themselves  and  of  their  neighbors,  or 
of  mankind  in  general,  is  honorable ;  and  that  no  man  is  de- 


EDUCATION,  INDUSTRIAL  PURSUITS    435 

grading  himself  because  he  can  lay  brick,  or  carry  on  car- 
pentry or  blacksmithing,  or  any  kind  of  mechanism,  no  mat- 
ter what  it  is,  but  that  all  these  things  are  honorable,  and  are 
necessary  for  the  welfare  of  man  and  for  the  building  up  of 
the  commonwealth.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1909,  p.  8. 

AGRICULTURE  AND  MECHANIC  ARTS  IN  CHURCH 
SCHOOLS.  We  have  sought  to  encourage  in  our  Church 
schools  the  establishment  of  departments  of  mechanic  arts 
and  manual  training ;  and,  so  far  as  I  know,  everything  pos- 
sible is  being  done,  at  least  in  the  principal  schools,  for  the 
training  of  our  youth,  not  only  in  the  regular  mechanic  arts, 
but  also  in  the  art  of  agriculture.  An  agricultural  course 
has  recently  been  started  in  the  Brigham  Young  University, 
and  one  of  our  most  proficient  scientists  has  been  called  to 
take  charge  of  the  class.  I  am  happy  to  say  that  some  of  our 
oldest  farmers  are  delighted  with  the  information  that  they 
have  obtained  by  attending  this  class.  I  heard  a  brother 
who  had  been  farming  for  many  years  say  that  he  had  al- 
ways been  under  the  impression  that  when  a  man  could  not 
do  anything  else,  all  he  had  to  do  was  to  turn  his  attention 
to  the  plow  and  cultivate  the  soil,  for  anybody  could  be 
a  farmer,  but  he  had  found  out  since  attending  his  class  that 
it  required  intelligence  and  intelligent  application  to  be  a 
good  farmer,  as  well  as  to  be  a  good  artisan.  In  connec- 
tion with  this  I  may  state  a  circumstance  that  came  under 
my  own  observation  years  ago.  A  certain  brother  had  lived 
upon  his  farm  for  some  fourteen  or  fifteen  years.  He  had 
cultivated  it  every  year  the  best  he  could,  but  it  had  become 
so  impoverished  that  he  could  not  make  a  living  off  it  any 
longer,  and  he  became  so  disgusted  with  the  country,  espe- 
cially with  his  farm,  that  he  concluded,  if  he  could  only  trade 
the  farm  off  for  a  team  and  wagon  that  would  take  him  out 
of  the  country,  he  would  be  glad  to  go.  By  and  by,  his  man 
came  along,  and  he  sold  his  farm  for  a  team  and  wagon,  in 
which  he  put  his  wife  and  children  and  moved  to  some  other 


436  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

country.  The  purchaser  took  possession  of  this  worn-out 
farm,  and  within  three  years,  by  intelligent  operation,  he  was 
able  to  gather  from  that  farm  forty  bushels  of  wheat  to  the 
acre,  and  other  products  in  proportion.  The  nutriment  of 
the  soil  had  been  exhausted,  and  it  needed  resuscitation ;  so 
he  went  to  work,  gave  it  the  nourishment  it  required,  and 
reaped  a  bountiful  harvest  as  a  result  of  his  wisdom.  There 
are  too  many  of  our  farmers  who  think  it  does  not  need  any 
skill  to  be  a  farmer ;  but  this  good  brother  in  Provo,  to 
whom  I  alluded,  found  it  did.  So  we  are  teaching  agricul- 
ture in  our  schools,  as  well  as  the  mechanic  arts.  The  Brig- 
ham  Young  College  is  putting  up  a  building  now  wherein 
are  to  be  taught  all  sorts  of  industries ;  where  our  youth  will 
be  able  to  learn  carpentry,  blacksmithing,  domestic  arts,  and 
other  trades  that  will  be  useful  to  them.  Yet  we  find  it  a 
drag  to  induce  anybody  possessed  of  means  to  contribute 
very  largely  to  it.  Some  of  our  wealthiest  men  felt  they 
were  doing  their  utmost  when  they  donated  perhaps  a  hun- 
dred dollars  towards  a  building  that  will  cost  eight  or  ten 
thousand  dollars,  if  not  more. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1906,  pp.  5,  6. 

WE  SHOULD  STUDY  AGRICULTURE.  In  connection  with 
this  matter,  I  think  it  is  wisdom  for  us,  as  agriculturists,  to 
study  agriculture  and  to  become  able  to  produce  out  of  an 
acre  of  ground  as  much  as  the  ''heathen  Chinee,"  or  as  much 
as  any  other  people  can  produce  from  the  same  ground.  I 
do  not  see  why  we  cannot  learn  to  cultivate  the  soil  as  intel- 
ligently and  as  profitably  as  any  other  class  of  people  in  the 
world ;  and  yet  it  is  a  well  known  fact  that  up  to  the  present 
we  have  not  devoted  that  attention,  care,  thought  fulness,  or 
that  intelligence  to  agriculture  in  our  country  that  we  should 
have  done  and  that  we  are  now  learning  to  do,  by  the  aid 
of  schools  where  men  who  desire  to  follow  agriculture 
may  learn  the  nature  of  the  soil  and  all  the  other  conditions 
necessary  to  produce  the  largest  results  for  their  labor. — 
Apr.  C.  R.,  1910,  p.  4. 


EDUCATION,  INDUSTRIAL  PURSUITS    437 

DIGNITY  OF  AGRICULTURE.  I  believe  there  is  no  labor 
on  earth  more  essential  to  the  well-being  of  a  community  or 
more  honorable  than  the  labor  which  is  necessary  to  produce 
food  from  mother  earth.  It  is  one  of  the  most  noble  occupa- 
tions. And  next  to  it  is  the  tending  of  the  flocks  of  sheep 
and  cattle.  This  is  another  noble  occupation,  if  it  is  only 
carried  on  properly  and  righteously.  These  are  the  founda- 
tion of  the  prosperity  of  every  community  in  the  world. 
When  the  farming  community  is  prosperous,  when  the  Lord 
blesses  the  earth  and  makes  it  fruitful,  then  the  blacksmith, 
the  carpenter,  and  those  who  follow  other  pursuits,  will  also 
be  prosperous.  But  when  the  earth  refuses  to  yield  of  its 
strength  for  the  good  of  mankind,  then  all  other  business  is 
stagnant  and  will  languish.  Therefore,  let  us  till  the  earth ; 
let  us  cultivate  the  soil ;  let  us  produce  our  own  living  out  of 
the  earth,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  as  far  as  we  possibly  can, 
always  keeping  in  mind  that  we  have  entered  into  solemn 
covenant  with  God,  which  is  an  eternal  covenant,  and  from 
which  he  cannot  depart  or  be  moved,  and  in  which  we  can 
only  fail  by  ourselves  transgressing  that  new  and  everlasting 
covenant  and  turning  away  from  it. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1898,  p.  70. 

ENCOURAGE  FORESTRY.  Professor  Fernow,  of  the  De- 
partment of  Forestry,  at  Washington,  declares  that  at  the 
present  rate  of  consumption  our  supply  of  timber  suitable 
for  manufactured  lumber  will  not  last  thirty  years.  If  it 
were  true  that  our  lumber  supply  was  likely  to  be  exhausted 
within  the  next  hundred  years,  it  would  still  be  a  matter  of 
alarming  concern  to  the  people  of  this  country.  The  use  of 
lumber  is  not  the  only  serious  question  involved.  Our  trees 
aid  the  precipitation  of  moisture  and  store  it  away  for  its 
gradual  distribution  during  the  hot  summer  months. 

The  time  is  not  distant  in  Utah  when  people  will  be 
compelled  to  grow  their  own  lumber,  just  as  they  grow 
other  products  of  the  farm.  What  would  we  do  without 
Oregon  and  the  Sierras  of  Nevada?  Oregon  timber  may 


438  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

now  be  very  plentiful  and  rainfall  ample,  but  some  day  the 
Oregonians  will  demand  a  cessation  of  their  forest  destruc- 
tion. 

It  is  the  business  of  presiding  authorities  in  the  stakes 
and  wards  of  the  Church  to  study  thoughtfully  and  to  for- 
ward the  interests  of  the  people.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  these 
authorities  will  look  into  the  matter  of  establishing  the  for- 
estry industry,  and  see  if  some  thing  can  be  done  in  their  sec- 
tions of  the  country  to  inaugurate  the  planting  of  trees  on 
private  estates  for  the  supply  of  lumber  in  years  to  come.  It 
would  be  commendable  in  the  highest  degree  to  the  Latter- 
day  Saints  if  they  would  set  apart  here  and  there  a  small 
acreage  of  their  land  to  tree  culture.  If  this  matter  were 
taken  up  in  priesthood  meetings  and  some  united  action 
agreed  upon,  future  disaster  may  be  averted. 

The  Latter-day  Saints  ought  not  to  be  governed  by 
purely  selfish  motives  in  the  use  of  their  landed  inheritances. 
The  number  among  us  who  have  converted  a  single  acre  of 
our  farms  into  forestry  must  be  extremely  small,  and  yet 
it  is  a  duty  which  we  owe  to  ourselves  and  to  those  who 
have  the  right  to  rely  upon  us  to  give  this  matter  our  earn- 
est consideration.  The  cultivation  of  timber  lands  will  in 
time  be  remunerative ;  but  we  are  so  accustomed  to  look 
for  immediate  returns  that  we  insist  upon  an  early  harvest 
for  all  that  we  do.  The  policy  of  living  for  today  is  not  only 
destructive  of  our  material  interests,  but  it  begets  a  selfish- 
ness harmful  to  religion  and  discreditable  to  patriotism. 

No  ward  or  branch  of  the  Church  can  long  remain  free 
from  a  public  interest  without  endangering  its  spiritual  life 
and  the  spirit  of  progress.  Public  interests  are  necessary  to 
protect  us  against  the  elments  of  social  and  material  decay. 
Evidences  of  the  truth  of  these  principles  are  abundantly 
manifest  in  those  communities  where  public  spirit  has  been 
wanting  and  public  improvements  have  not  been  undertaken 


EDUCATION,  INDUSTRIAL  PURSUITS    439 

for  years.  The  wise  and  active  president  of  a  stake  or 
bishop  of  a  ward  will  not  fail  to  appreciate  the  value  of  a 
public  spirit  and  a  united  effort  in  the  accomplishment  of 
some  necessary  and  commendable  public  undertaking;  and 
if  there  is  not  something  immediately  at  hand,  he  will  look 
about  to  discover,  if  he  can,  a  means  for  calling  out  in  a 
united  and  patriotic  way  the  energies  of  the  people.  We  here 
therefore  suggest  that  one  of  the  public  duties  which  every 
Latter-day  Saint  owes  to  the  Church  and  to  his  country  is 
the  extension  of  valuable  timber  forests  upon  both  private 
lands  and  public  domains. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  38, 
August  1,  1903,  p.  466. 

YOUNG  WOMEN  SHOULD  HAVE  PRACTICAL  PREPARA- 
TION FOR  LIFE.  I,  too,  think  it  is  very  important  that  young 
women  should  early  form  some  design,  some  definite  pur- 
pose in  life.  Let  that  resolve  be  a  noble  one,  a  good  one ; 
something  with  a  view  of  benefiting  others  as  well  as  one's 
self.  Perhaps  your  sphere  may  be  in  the  household ;  if  so,  let 
every  member  feel  that  you  are  indispensable  to  the  comfort 
of  home,  by  your  good  works  and  your  love  and  patience. 
You  may  be  a'stay  and  a  comfort  and  a  help  to  your  mother, 
though  you  may  not  be  called  to  herculean  tasks  or  heroic 
sacrifice.  Fix  in  your  minds  noble  thoughts,  cultivate  ele- 
vated themes,  let  your  aims  and  aspirations  be  high.  Be  in 
a  certain  degree  independent ;  to  the  degree  of  usefulness, 
helpfulness  and  self-reliance,  though  no  human  beings  can  be 
said  truly  to  be  independent  of  their  fellow  beings,  and  there 
is  no  one  reckless  enough  to  deny  our  utter  dependence  on 
our  heavenly  Father.  Seek  to  be  educated  in  the  highest 
meaning  of  the  term  ;  get  the  most  possible  service  out  of 
your  time,  your  body  and  brains,  and  let  all  your  efforts  be 
directed  into  honorable  channels,  that  no  effort  shall  be 
wasted,  and  no  labor  result  in  loss  or  evil. 

Seek  the  very  best  society;  be  kind,  polite,  agreeable, 
seeking  to  learn  whatever  is  good,  and  comprehend  the 


440  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

duties  of  life  that  you  may  be  a  blessing  to  all  those  with 
whom  you  associate,  making  the  very  most  and  best  of  your 
lot  in  life.  *  *  *  * 

It  does  not  matter  how  wealthy  the  Latter-day  Saints 
become;  so  long  as  they  are  worthy  of  that  name  they  will 
teach  their  sons  and  daughters  the  dignity  of  labor  and  how 
grand  it  is  to  be  practical  in  the  duties  and  responsibilities 
of  life.  One  of  the  speakers  during  the  general  conference 
remarked  that  if  his  children  could  not  cultivate  but  one 
set  of  faculties,  rather  than  theoretical,  he  would  choose 
practical  labor.  It  is  very  important  to  the  walfare,  use- 
fulness, happiness,  and  comfort  of  our  daughters  (in  view 
of  certain  circumstances)  that  they  learn  some  branch  of 
industry  that  could  be  turned  to  practical  account  in  the  way 
of  making  a  living,  should  circumstances  require  it.  Moth- 
ers should  see  to  it  that  their  daughters  do  this,  and  that 
when  she  is  no  longer  by  them,  they  may  be  capable  of 
providing  themselves  with  the  necessaries  of  life. 

There  are  people  fond  of  saying  that  women  are  the 
weaker  vessels.  I  don't  believe  it.  Physically,  they  may  be ; 
but  spiritually,  morally,  religiously  and  in  faith,  what  man 
can  match  a  woman  who  is  really  convinced?  Daniel  had 
faith  to  sustain  him  in  the  lion's  den,  but  women  have  seen 
their  sons  torn  limb  from  limb,  and  endured  every  torture 
satanic  cruelty  could  invest,  because  they  believed.  They  are 
always  more  willing  to  make  sacrifices,  and  are  the  peers  of 
men  in  stability,  Godliness,  morality  and  faith.  I  can  not 
understand  how  a  man  can  be  unkind  to  any  woman,  much 
less  to  the  wife  of  his  bosom,  and  the  mother  of  his  children, 
and  I  am  told  that  there  are  those  who  are  absolutely  brutal, 
but  they  are  unworthy  the  name  of  men  I  believe  that  most 
women  are  very  devoted  to  their  children,  desiring  for  them 
most  ardently  all  that  is  good,  and  I  loathe  with  every  fiber 
of  my  soul  the  son  who  turns  against  the  mother  who  gave 
him  birth.  I  cannot  tolerate  the  young  lady  who  appears 


EDUCATION,  INDUSTRIAL  PURSUITS    441 

well  in  society  -at  the  expense  of  the  comfort  of  her  mother 
at  home.  Do  not  fear  to  divide  the  burdens,  and  to  do  all 
in  your  power  to  brighten  the  lot  of  your  mother,  and  you 
will  find  blessings  that  are  never  discovered  in  the  path  of 
selfishness. 

And  I  exhort  you  young  sisters  to  sustain  those  who 
are  placed  over  you,  to  improve  all  your  opportunities,  and 
refrain  from  evil;  and,  mark  me,  you  will  attain  to  a  high 
standard  of  character  and  the  honors  of  life,  and  become  po- 
tent factors  in  forming  your  communities.  Maintain  your  dig- 
nity, integrity,  and  virtue  at  the  sacrifice  of  life.  Take 
this  course,  and  although  you  may  be  ignorant  of  many 
things,  you  will  be  esteemed  as  of  the  noblest  types  of 
womanhood.  With  such  virtues  for  her  adornments,  no  man 
could  help  loving  such  a  young  lady. — Young  Woman's 
Journal,  Vol.  3,  1891-1892,  pp.  142-144. 

OBJECT  OF  CHURCH  SCHOOLS.  The  object,  I  may  say 
almost  the  only  purpose,  for  the  maintenance  of  Church 
schools  is  that  true  religion  and  undefiled  before  God  the 
Father,  may  be  inculcated  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of  our 
children  while  they  are  getting  an  education,  to  enable  the 
heart,  the  soul  and  the  spirit  of  our  children  to  develop  with 
proper  teaching,  in  connection  with  the  secular  training  that 
they  receive  in  schools. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1915,  p.  4. 

VALUE  OF  CHURCH  SCHOOLS.  In  my  opinion  the  Church 
schools  are  laying  the  foundation  for  great  usefulness  among 
the  people  of  God,  and  they  should  be  sustained  by  the  peo- 
ple and  by  the  Church.  The  Church  is  sustaining  them,  and 
as  we  acquire  more  means  and  become  more  free  from  ob- 
ligations which  have  been  resting  upon  the  Church  for 
years,  we  will  be  more  free-handed  to  administer  to  the 
needs  of  our  Church  schools,  as  well  as  other  requirements 
of  that  nature.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1906,  p.  6. 

PURPOSE  OF  CHURCH  SCHOOLS.  The  purpose  of  our 
Church  schools  is  the  harmonious  development  of  our  young 


442  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

people  in  all  that  relates  to  their  future  .  well-being  and 
progress;  and  eternal  progress  can  be  enjoyed  only  when 
the  principles  of  eternal  life  are  associated  with  their  daily 
existence.  Whatever  hinders  upward  progression  deadens 
the  sensibilities  and  real  enjoyments  of  this  world's  life. 
An  education  that  has  for  its  highest  ideals  the  pursuit  of 
worldly  ambitions  is  wanting  in  that  free  and  unrestrained 
flow  of  the  spirit  which  makes  for  higher  freedom  and  a 
more  wholesome  life.  As  we  ripen  in  years  and  in  experi- 
ence, our  spiritual  lives  have  more  and  more  to  do  with  our 
real  happiness.  Our  thoughts  are  more  frequently  turned 
inward  as  wt  contemplate  the  approaching  end  of  this  life 
and  the  unfolding  of  the  greater  life  to  come. — Juvenile  In- 
structor, Vol.  47,  November,  1912,  p.  630. 

THE  CHURCH  AMPLE  FOR  ALL  NECESSARY  ORGANIZA- 
TIONS :  The  Church  is  provided  with  so  many  priesthood 
organizations  that  only  these  can  be  recognized  therein.  No 
outside  organization  is  necessary.  There  is  no  call  for  in- 
dividuals to  organize  clubs,  or  special  gatherings  in  social, 
educational,  or  national  capacity,  in  order  to  express  wishes 
or  desires  for  reforms  that  can  always  be  expressed  in  the 
organizations  that  already  exist  in  the  Church.  There  is 
enough  to  do  in  the  general  ward  organizations,  under 
Church  control,  to  fill  all  requirements,  to  satisfy  all  right- 
eous ambitions,  and  to  develop  the  latent  talent  of  the  peo- 
ple. It  is  neither  proper  nor  necessary  to  establish  further 
public  organizations  under  individual  leadership,  unsanc- 
tioned  by  the  Church  authorities.  If  further  public  organ- 
izations are  required,  they  will  be  founded  by  proper  author- 
ity, when  it  can  be  proved  that  there  is  indeed  any  need  for 
them.  Such  separate  action  leads  to  clannishness,  conflict 
and  disunion,  and  is  not  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God. — 
Improvement  Era,  Vol.  6,  Dec.,  1902,  p.  150. 

DEVELOP  FACULTIES  IN  CHURCH  ORGANIZATIONS. 
\Yhere  men  are  ambitious  to  show  their  ability  and  fitness 


EDI  'CATION,  INDUSTRIAL  PURSUITS    443 

as  leaders,  teachers,  organizers,  champions  of  a  righteous 
cause,  or  saviors  of  men,  let  them  develop  these  qualities  in 
the  many  suitable  organizations  now  existing  in  the  Church, 
which  are  waiting,  yea,  often  crying  aloud,  for  men  with  just 
such  superior  ability.  This  course,  pursued  with  the  right 
spirit,  will  do  good,  and  meet  the  blessings  of  the  Lord ; 
while  the  other,  by  playing  upon  their  pride  of  nationality, 
their  natural  desire  to  conquer,  and  their  sectional  clannish- 
ness,  will  lead  to  schisms  among  the  people  that  will  finally 
cause  them  to  lose  the  spirit  of  the  gospel. — Improvement 
Era,  Vol.  6,  Dec.,  1902,  p.  151. 

THE  FOUNDATION  OF  PROSPERITY.  The  very  founda- 
tion of  all  real  prosperity  is  home  industry  and  home  manu- 
facture. This  lies  at  the  foundation  of  the  prosperity  of 
every  permanently  prosperous  community.  It  is  the  source 
of  wealth.  I  think,  therefore,  we  ought  to  encourage  home 
manufacture  and  every  home  industry.  We  ought  to  co- 
operate together,  if  there  is  any  kind  of  business  in  which 
there  is  a  profit,  let  us  co-operate  together  and  let  us  have 
the  benefit  of  that  profit  among  ourselves  instead  of  giving 
it  to  strangers. — Deseret  Weekly  News,  Vol.  33,  1884,  p.  466. 

THE  OBJECT  OF  CO-OPERATION.  Co-operation  is  a  prin- 
ciple that  President  Young  was  very  much  concerned  about, 
and  that  he  endeavored,  with  his  brethren,  to  impress  upon 
the  minds  of  the  people  throughout  the  land.  Under  his  ad- 
ministration our  co-operative  institutions  were  established, 
and  by  his  efforts,  many  of  the  people,  especially  in  the 
southern  part  of  Utah  and  in  Arizona,  became  united  to- 
gether in  organizations,  that  were  called  "the  United  Order." 
The  object  was  co-operation,  that  the  principles  of  union  in 
labor  as  well  as  in  faith  might  be  developed  to  its  fullest 
extent  in  the  midst  of  the  Saints. — Deseret  Weekly  News, 
Vol.  33,  1884,  p.  466. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Missionaries. 

How  MISSIONARIES  ARE  CALLED.  No  person  but  the 
President  of  the  Church  has  the  authority  to  call  mission- 
aries to  preach  the  gospel;  others  may  suggest  or  rec- 
ommend, but  they  do  so  to  him,  and  he  issues  the  call. 
We  draw  attention  to  this  fact  as  it  occasionally  happens 
that  some  brother  is  spoken  to  about  going  on  a  mission 
by  one  of  the  general  authorities,  by  the  president  of  the 
stake  or  by  his  bishop,  and  he  at  once  goes  to  work  and 
begins  to  prepare  to  leave,  sometimes  going  so  far  as  to 
rent  his  farm,  sell  his  belongings  or  lease  his  property. 
Then,  when  no  date  is  appointed  for  his  departure  and  no 
field  of  labor  assigned  him,  he  feels  disappointed  and  ag- 
grieved.— Jurcnilc  Instructor,  Vol.  37,  February,  1902, 
p.  82. 

REQUIREMENTS  OF  PROSPECTIVE  MISSIONARIES.  In  ac- 
cordance with  the  present  regulations  of  the  First  Presi- 
dency brethren  are  not  now  sent  on  missions  who  have  not 
themselves  a  testimony  of  the  truth  of  the  work  of  the 
Lord.  It  is  deemed  inconsistent  to  send  men  out  into  the 
world  to  promise  to  others  through  obeflience  to  the  gospel 
that  which  they  have  not  themselves  received.  Neither  is 
it  considered  proper  to  send  men  out  to  reform  tHem.  Let 
them  first  reform  at  home  if  they  have  not  been  strictly 
keeping  the  commandments  of  God.  This  applies  to  the 
Word  of  Wisdom  as  well  as'  to  all  other  laws  of  heaven. 
No  objection  is  offered  to  men  being  called  who  in  earlier 
years  may  have  been  rough  or  wayward,  if  in  later  years 
they  have  lived  a  godly  life  and  brought  forth  the  precious 
fruits  of  repentance.  Neither  should  men  be  sent  who  are 
not  in  good  health ;  a  sickly  elder  is  able  to  do  but  little 


MISSIONARIES  445 

good  himself  and  often  impedes  the  work  of  his  com- 
panion ;  and,  too  frequently,  has  to  be  sent  home  after  a 
short  absence  entailing  suffering  on  himself  and  expense  to 
the  people  or  the  Church. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  37 
February,  1902,  p.  82. 

THE  KIND  OF  MEN  WANTED  FOR  MISSIONARIES.  We 
do  not  want  boys  that  have  been  in  saloons,  that  have  been 
in  houses  of  ill-fame,  that  have  been  gamblers,  that  have 
been  drunkards,  that  have  been  infamous  in  their  lives — 
we  do  not  want  such  to  go  into  the  ministry  of  this  holy 
gospel  to  represent  the  Son  of  the  living  God  and  the  power 
of  redemption  to  the  world.  We  want  young  men  that  have 
been  born  or  adopted  in  the  covenant,  that  have  been  reared 
in  purity,  that  have  kept  themselves  unspotted  from  the 
world,  and  can  go  into  the  nations  of  the  earth  and  say  to 
men,  "Follow  me,  as  I  follow  Christ."  Then  we  would  like 
to  have  them  know  how  to  sing,  and  to  pray.  We  expect 
them  to  be  honest,  virtuous,  and  faithful  unto  death  to 
their  covenants,  to  their  brethren,  to  their  wives,  to  their 
fathers  and  mothers,  to  their  brothers  and  sisters,  to  them- 
selves and  to  God.  Where  you  get  men  like  this  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  the  world,  whether  they  know  much  to  begin 
with  or  not,  the  Lord  will  put  his  Spirit  into  their  hearts, 
and  he  will  crown  them  with  intelligence  and  power  to 
save  the  souls  of  men.  For  the  germ  of  life  is  in  them.  It 
has  not  been  vitiated  or  corrupted;  it  has  not  been  driven 
away  from  them.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1899,  pp.  72-3. 

NECESSARY  QUALIFICATIONS  OF  MISSIONARIES.  An- 
other thing — one  of  the  indispensable  qualifications  of  the 
elders  who  go  out  into  the  world  to  preach  is  humility, 
meekness  and  love  unfeigned,  for  the  well-being  and  the 
salvation  of  the  human  family,  and  the  desire  to  establish 
peace  and  righteousness  in  the  earth  among  men.  We  can 
not  preach  the  gospel  of  Christ  without  this  spirit  of  hu- 
mility, meekness,  faith  in  God  and  reliance  upon  his  prom- 


446  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

ises  and  word  to  us.  You  may  learn  all  the  wisdom  of  men, 
but  that  will  not  qualify  you  to  do  these  things  like  the 
humble,  guiding  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  God  will.  "Pride 
goeth  before  destruction,  and  an  haughty  spirit  before  a 
fall." 

It  is  necessary  for  the  elders  who  go  out  into  the 
world  to  preach  to  study  the  spirit  of  the  gospel,  which  is 
the  spirit  of  humility,  the  spirit  of  meekness  and  of  true 
devotion  to  whatever  purpose  you  set  your  hand  or  your 
mind  to  do.  If  it  is  to  preach  the  gospel,  we  should  devote 
ourselves  to  the  duties  of  that  ministry,  and  we  ought  to 
strive  with  the  utmost  of  our  ability  to  qualify  ourselves 
to  perform  that  specific  labor,  and  the  way  to  do  it  is  to 
live  so  that  the  Spirit  of  God  will  have  communion  and  be 
present  with  us  to  direct  us  in  every  moment  and  hour  of 
our  ministry,  night  and  day. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1915,  p.  138. 

FURTHER  QUALIFICATIONS  OF  MISSIONARIES.  There 
are  many  excellent  men  but  very  few  really  good  mission- 
aries. The  characteristics  of  a  good  missionary  are:  A 
man  who  has  sociability — whose  friendship  is  permanent 
and  sparkling — who  can  ingratiate  himself  into  the  confi- 
dence and  favor  of  men  who  are  in  darkness.  This  cannot 
be  done  offhand.  You  must  get  acquainted  with  a  man, 
learn  him  and  gain  his  confidence  and  make  him  feel  and 
know  that  your  only  desire  is  to  do  him  good  and  bless 
him ;  then  you  can  tell  him  your  message,  and  give  him  the 
good  things  you  have  for  him  kindly  and  lovingly.  There- 
fore, in  selecting  missionaries,  choose  such  as  have  socia- 
bility, who  have  friendship  and  not  enmity  towards  men ; 
and  if  you  have  not  any  such  in  your  ward,  train  and  qualify 
some  young  men  for  this  work.  Some  men  can  never  make 
good  missionaries,  and  you  should  not  select  such.  In  the 
very  first  place,  a  missionary  should  have  in  himself  the 
testimony  of  the  Spirit  of  God — the  witness  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  If  he  has  not  this,  he  has  nothing  to  give.  Men  are 


MISSIONARIES  447 

not  converted  by  eloquence  or  oratory ;  they  are  convinced 
when  they  are  satisfied  that  you  have  the  truth  and  the 
Spirit  of  God. — Improvement  Era,  also  Digest  of  Instruc- 
tions, Y.  M.  M.  I.  A.,  1904. 

WHAT  MISSIONARIES  SHOULD  TEACH.  Our  elders  are 
instructed  here,  and  they  are  taught  from  their  childhood  up, 
that  they  are  not  to  go  out  and  make  war  upon  the  religious 
organizations  of  the  wrorld  when  they  are  called  to  go  out 
to  preach  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  but  to  go  and  bear 
with  them  the  message  which  has  been  given  to  us  through 
the  instrumentality  of  the  Prophet  Joseph,  in  "this  latter 
dispensation,  whereby  men  may  learn  the  truth,  if  they 
will.  They  are  sent  out  to  offer  the  olive  branch  of  peace 
to  the  world,  to  offer  the  knowledge  that  God  has  spoken 
from  the  heavens  once  more  to  his  children  upon  the  earth ; 
that  God  has  in  his  mercy  restored  again  to  the  world  the 
fulness  of  the  gospel  of  his  Only  Begotten  Son,  in  the  flesh, 
that  God  has  revealed  and  restored  to  mankind  the  divine 
power  and  authoritv  from  himself,  whereby  they  are  enabled 
and  authorized  to  perform  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ  necessary  for  their  salvation ;  and  their  per- 
formance of  these  ordinances  must  of  necessity  be  accep":- 
L'ble  unto  God  who  has  given  to  them  the  authority  to  per- 
form them  in  his  name.  Our  elders  are  sent  out  to  preach 
repentance  of  sin,  to  preach  righteousness,  to  preach  to 
the  world  the  gospel  of  life,  of  fellowship,  and  of  friendship 
irinong  mankind,  to  teach  men  and  women  to  do  that  which 
is  right  in  the  sight  of  God  and  in  the  presence  of  all  men, 
to  teach  them  the  fact  that  God  has  organized  his  Church, 
a  Church  of  which  he,  himself,  is  the  author  and  the  founder 
— not  Joseph  Smith,  not  President  Brigham  Young,  not  the 
Twelve  Apostles,  that  have  been  chosen  in  this  dispensation 
—to  them  does  not  belong  the  honor  of  establishing  the 
Church.  God  .is  its  author,  God  is  its  founder,  and  we  are 
sent  out,  and  we  send  out  our  elders,  to  make  this  proclama- 


448  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

tion  to  the  world,  and  leave  it  to  their  own  judgment  and 
discretion  as  to  whether  they  will  investigate  it,  learn  the 
truth  for  themselves,  and  accept  it,  or  whether  they  will 
reject  it.  We  do  not  make  war  upon  them;  if  they  do  not 
receive  it,  we  do  not  contend  with  them ;  if  they  fail  to  bene- 
fit themselves  by  receiving  the  message  that  we  give  to 
them  for  their  own  good,  we  only  pity.  Our  sympathy  goes 
out  to  those  who  will  not  receive  the  truth  and  who  will  not 
walk  in  the  light  when  the  light  shines  before  them ;  not 
hatred,  not  enmity,  not  the  spirit  of  condemnation ;  it  is 
our  duty  to  leave  condemnation  in  the  hands  of  Almighty 
God.  He  is  the  only  real,  true,  righteous  impartial  judge, 
and  we  leave  judgment  in  his  hands.  It  is  not  our  business 
to  proclaim  calamities,  judgments,  destruction,  and  the 
wrath  of  God  upon  men,  if  they  will  not  receive  the  truth. 
Let  them  read  the  word  of  God,  as  recorded  in  the  New  and 
the  Old  Testaments ;  and,  if  they  will  receive  it,  let  them  read 
the  \vord  that  has  been  restored  through  the  gift  and  power 
of  God  to  Joseph  the  prophet,  as  contained  in  the  Doctrine 
and  Covenants  and  in  the  Book  of  Mormon.  Let  them  read 
these  things,  and  they  will  learn  there,  themselves,  the  prom- 
ises that  God  has  made  to  those  who  will  not  hearken  when 
they  hear  the  truth,  but  will  close  their  ears  and  their  eyes 
against  the  light.  We  need  not  repeat  these  things  and  try 
to  impose  upon  the  feelings  and  judgments  of  men  by 
threatening  them  or  by  warning  them  against  the  dangers 
and  evils  that  may  come  upon  the  ungodly,  the  disobedient, 
the  unthankful,  and  those  who  will  not  yield  to  the  truth. 
They  will  learn  it  soon  enough,  if  we  do  not  mention  it  to 
them  at  all—Apr.  C.  R.f  1915,  pp.  3-4. 

WHAT  AND  How  To  TEACH.  The  question  often  arises 
in  the  minds  of  young  men  who  find  themselves  in  the  mis- 
sion field,  "What  shall  I  say?-'  And  another  follows  closely 
upon  it,  "How  shall  I  say  it?"  To  those  who  go  out  in 
earnestness  and  who  have  made  a  partial  study  of  the 


MISSIONARIES  449 

principles  of  the  gospel  at  home,  the  first  question  will  soon 
be  solved  even  if  they  have  failed  to  make  the  very  best 
use  of  their  time  and  opportunities  in  our  schools,  asso- 
ciations, and  religious  meetings.  They  will  soon  find  attrac- 
tion in  the  principles  of  truth,  and  as  they  find  time,  by  close 
application,  become  familiar  with  the  teachings  set  forth  in 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  revealed  to  and  taught  by  the 
Latter-day  Saints.  But  the  second  question,  involving  the 
best  method  of  delivering  the  message  which  the  missionary 
has  gone  out  to  proclaim,  that  is  not  always  so  readily  solved. 
And  yet,  the  success  or  failure  of  a  mission  largely  depends 
upon  the  false  or  accurate  solution  of  this  problem. 

While  no  specific  rule  may  be  given,  experience  has 
taught  that  the  simplest  way  is  the  best.  Having  learned  the 
principles  of  the  gospel,  through  a  prayerful  spirit  and  by 
careful  study,  these  should  be  presented  to  men  in  humility, 
in  the  simplest  forms  of  speech,  without  presumption  or 
arrogance  and  in  the  spirit  of  the  mission  of  Christ.  This 
cannot  be  done  if  a  young  missionary  waste  his  effort  in  a 
vain-glorious  attempt  to  become  a  noisy  orator.  This  is  the 
point  I  wish  to  impress  upon  the  elders,  and  to  advise  that 
all  oratorical  effort  be  confined  to  appropriate  times  and 
places.  The  mission  field  is  not  the  place  for  such  effort. 
The  gospel  is  not  successfully  taught  by  ostentatious  display 
of  words  and  argument,  but  rather  is  expressed  by  modest 
and  rational  statements  of  its  simple  truths,  uttered  in  a  way 
that  will  touch  the  heart  and  appeal,  as  well,  to  reason  and 
sound  sense. 

It  isn't  the  rounded  period,  but  the  thought  which  it 
contains  that  is  of  value ;  nor  is  it  the  faultless  sentence  so 
much  as  the  spirit  accompanying  the  speaker  that  awakens 
life  and  light  in  the  soul.  The  spirit  must  first  be  with  the 
missionary,  if  he  shall  succeed  in  awakening  its  response  in 
his  hearers ;  and  this  is  true  whether  the  words  be  spoken 
in  conversation,  face  to  face,  or  in  public  gatherings.  The 

30 


450  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

spirit  will  not  manifest  itself  in  the  person  who  devotes  his 
time  to  deliver  what  he  has  to  say  in  pompous  words  or 
with  display  of  oratory.  He  hopes  to  please  artificially,  and 
not  effectively  through  the  heart. 

It  is,  therefore,  of  great  importance  that  the  gospel 
should  be  preached  in  the  simplest  and  most  intelligible  way. 
This  does  not  mean  that  the  language  should  not  be  choice, 
nor  that  all  the  refinement  possible  should  not  be  employed, 
but  that  there  should  be  no  affectation,  nothing  "put  on." 
There  is  enough  in  the  gospel  to  occupy  our  earnest  time  and 
language,  without  devoting  our  time  to  artificial  effects.  By 
earnestness  and  simplicity  the  missionary  will  not  only  estab- 
lish himself  in  the  truth,  but  his  testimony  will  convince 
others.  He  will  also  learn  to  stand  for  himself  with  God  as 
his  helper;  he  will  touch  the  hearts  of  the  people  and  will 
have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  them  come  to  an  understanding 
of  his  message.  The  spirit  of  the  gospel  will  shine  forth  from 
his  soul  and  others  \vill  partake  of  his  light  and  rejoice 
therein.  The  other  course  will  be  ineffectual,  serving  no 
useful  purpose,  either  to  the  missionary  himself  or  to  those 
who, hear  him,  but  rather  leading  to  vanity,  emptiness  and 
futility. 

In  the  mission  field,  as  in  our  daily  lives,  it  is  best  to 
be  natural,  rational — neither  given  to  exaggeration  of  spirit- 
ual gifts  nor  to  destructive  affectation  in  act  or  language. 
It  is  best  to  develop  simplicity  of  speech,  earnestness  of 
manner,  humility  of  spirit,  and  a  feeling  of  love  for  our 
fellows,  thereby  cultivating  that  well-balanced  common  sense 
in  our  lives  that  shall  command  the  respect  and  admiration 
of  the  honest  in  heart  and  insure  the  continual  presence  and 
aid  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 

NOT  ALL  MEN  READY  To  ACCEPT  THE  GOSPEL.  I  was 
struck  by  a  remark  made  by  one  of  the  brethren  with  respect 
to  the  many  people  who  saw  and  heard  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith  and  yet  didn't  believe  that  he  was  a  prophet  of  God,  or 


MISSIONARIES  451 

a  man  raised  up  by  the  Almighty  to  lay  the  foundations  of 
this  great  latter-day  work.  It  was  said  that  the  Lord  had 
not  revealed  it  unto  them.  Now,  I  do  not  dispute  that  state- 
ment, nor  call  it  in  question ;  but  it  occurred  to  me  that  there 
are  thousands  of  men  who  have  heard  the  voices  of  the  in- 
spired servants  of  God,  unto  whom  the  Almighty  has  borne 
record  of  the  truth,  and  yet  they  have  not  believed  it.  It  is 
my  opinion  that  the  Lord  bears  record  to  the  testimonies  of 
his  servants  unto  those  who  hear  those  testimonies,  and  it  is 
left  with  them  whether  or  not  they  will  harden  their  hearts 
against  the  truth  and  not  listen  to  it,  and  abide  the  conse- 
quences. I  believe  the  Spirit  of  the  Almighty  God  is  upon 
most  of  the  elders  who  go  out  into  the  world  to  proclaim 
the  gospel.  I  believe  their  words  are  accompanied  by  the 
testimony  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  But  all.  men  are  not  open 
to  receive  the  witness  and  the  testimony  of  the  Spirit.  And 
the  responsibility  will  rest  with  them.  Yet  it  may  be  possible 
the  Lord  withholds  his  Spirit  from  some,  for  a  wise  purpose 
in  him,  that  their  eyes  are  not  opened  to  see  and  their 
minds  not  quickened  to  comprehend  the  word  of  truth.  As 
a  rule,  however,  it  is  my  opinion  that  all  men  who  are 
seeking  after  the  truth  and  are  willing  to  receive  it,  will  also 
receive  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  which  accompanies  the 
words  and  testimonies  of  the  servants  of  the  Lord;  while 
those  whose  hearts  are  hardened  against  the  truth  and  will 
not  receive  it  when  it  is  borne  record  of  to  them,  will  remain 
ignorant  and  without  a  comprehension  of  the  gospel.  I 
believe  there  are  tens  of  thousands  of  people  who  have 
heard  the  truth  and  have  been  pricked  in  their  hearts,  but 
they  are  seeking  every  refuge  they  possiby  can  to  hide 
themselves  from  their  convictions  of  the  truth.  It  is  among 
this  class  that  you  will  find  the  enemies  to  the  cause  of 
Zion.  They  are  opposing  the  truth  in  order  to  hide  them- 
selves from  their  convictions  of  the  truth.  There 
are  men,  possibly  within  the  sound  of  my  voice — 


452  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

certainly  within  the  limits  of  this  city — who  have  read 
our  books,  who  have  listened  to  the  discourses  of  the 
elders,  and  who  are  familiar  with  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church;  but  they  will  not  acknowledge — openly,  at  least — 
the  truth  of  this  gospel  and  the  divinity  of  this  work.  Well, 
the  responsibility  rests  with  them.  God  will  judge  them 
and  deal  with  them  in  his  own  way  and  time.  Many  of 
them,  through  their  efforts  to  bring  reproach  upon  the 
cause  of  Zion,  are  awakening  the  attention  of  people  in  the 
world  to  "Mormonism,"  and  thus  unwittingly  advancing  the 
cause  of  Zion,  while  they  know  it  not.  I  thank  God  my 
Father  that  he  brings  good  out  of  the  evil  designed  against 
his  people  by  their  enemies.  And  he  will  continue  to  do  this. 
The  clouds  may  gather  over  our  heads,  and,  as  in  the  past, 
it  may  seem  impossible  for  us  to  penetrate  them;  yet  there 
can  be  no  clouds  so  dark,  so  gloomy  or  so  heavy,  but  God 
will  roll  them  away  in  his  own  time  and  will  bring  good  out 
of  threatening  evil.  He  has  done  it  in  the  past,  he  will  do  it 
in  the  future ;  for  it  is  his  work,  not  the  work  of  man. — Apr. 
C.R.,  1899,  pp.  40-41. 

OUR  PEOPLE  GENEROUS  TO  MISSIONARIES.  I  believe 
I  can  confidently  say  that  the  Latter-day  Saints,  as  a  rule, 
are  among  the  most  hospitable,  generous  and  kind  hearted 
people  that  can  be  found  upon  the  earth.  Not  long  ago 
one  of  our  elders  returned  from  a  mission  in  the  South. 
There  had  been  a  question  raised  in  his  mind  as  to  whether 
the  Latter-day  Saints  in  Zion  would  be  as  open-handed,  as 
hospitable,  as  kind-hearted  and  as  willing  to  receive  and 
entertain  a  stranger  as  were  the  people  of  the  South,  and  he 
determined  to  put  the  matter  to  the  test.  The  story  of  his 
visits  to  some  of  our  people  here  is  published  in  the  Improve- 
ment Era,  No.  6,  Vol.  1,  p.  399.  I  cannot  give  it  to  you  in 
detail,  but  will  only  attempt  a  brief  outline.  Representing 
himself  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  from  the  state  of  Ten- 
nessee, traveling  without  purse  or  scrip,  as  the  elders  of 


MISSIONARIES  453 

the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  were  gen- 
erally doing,  he  called  upon  Brother  B.  Y.  Hampton,  of 
the  Hampton  House,  and  asked  for  entertainment  without 
charge.  Bro.  Hampton  readily  consented  to  take  care  of 
him.  He  next  called  at  the  Temple  Barber  Shop,  with  a  sim- 
ilar representation,  and  asked  for  a  "shave  and  shingle,"  on 
the  same  terms,  which  was  readily  complied  with,  and  he 
was  asked  to  "come  again."  He  next  called  upon  Brother 
Henry  Dinwoodey,  and  presenting  himself  as  before,  asked 
for  means  to  pay  his  fare  on  the  railroad,  going  north, 
whereupon  Brother  Dinwoodey  handed  him  out  the  money. 
Needing  a  mainspring  in  his  watch,  he  called  upon  Brothers 
John  Daynes  &  Son,  and  introduced  himself  as  before,  and 
they  cheerfully  repaired  his  watch.  He  then  called  upon 
Thomas  G.  Webber,  of  Z.  C.  M.  I.,  and  in  the  same  guise 
asked  for  a  pair  of  shoes,  which  Col.  Webber  generously 
gave  him.  Having  a  tooth  which  needed  filling,  he  called 
at  the  dental  parlors  of  Dr.  Fred  Clawson,  whom  he  con- 
vinced, after  some  difficulty,  that  he  was  not  an  old  friend 
and  school  mate,  but  really  a  minister  of  the  gospel  from 
Tennessee,  having  a  similar  name;  the  doctor  readily  con- 
sented to  filling  his  tooth  without  money  or  price. 
Thus  it  was  proven  that  the  Latter-day  Saints  were  as 
generous,  as  kind  hearted,  as  ready  to  help  the  stranger  of 
another  religion,  as  were  the  good  people  of  the  Southern 
States,  and  for  that  matter  of  any  other  country.  Having 
put  these  people  to  the  test,  in  other  words,  having  weighed 
them  in  the  balance  and  found  them  not  wanting  in  each 
case,  he  fully  explained  his  motive  and  who  he  was,  to  their 
mutual  delight.  And  when  the  elder  returned  their  gifts  or 
declined  to  receive  the  favors  granted  him  without  proper 
remuneration  in  each  case,  as  I  understand,  the  brethren 
insisted  that  what  they  had  done  was  in  good  faith  on  their 
part,  and  he  was  welcome  to  the  same,  believing  that  an 
elder  who  had  spent  two  years  and  upwards  on  a  mission, 


454  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

laboring  without  purse  or  scrip,  would  be  likely  to  stand 
almost  as  much  in  need  of  such  help  as  would  the  strange 
minister  whom  he  had  personated. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1898,  pp 
46-7. 

ADVICE  To  MISSIONARIES.  The  missionary  labor  ac- 
complished by  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints  is  a  subject  of  growing  comment  and  marvel  among 
people  of  the  world  who  come  to  learn  of  its  extent  and 
results.  This  feeling  of  wonder  is  blended  with  admiration 
in  the  minds  of  those  who  study  the.  details  of  our  mission- 
ary system,  and  who  are  able  to  appreciate  the  self-sacrifice, 
enduring  faith,  and  God-fearing  reliance  by  which  the  mis- 
sionaries of  the  Church  are  distinguished.  The  fact  that 
those  of  our  people  who  go  forth  on  missions  do  so  at  their 
own  expense,  unsalaried,  indeed,  without  hope  of  pecuniary 
reward,  spending  years  away  from  home — usually  years  of 
early  manhood — the  years  that  are  regarded  as  most  valu- 
able in  shaping  the  individual's  course  and  position  in  life — 
this  fact,  indeed,  may  well  arouse  the  surprise  and  admira- 
tion of  the  world. 

Many  of  our  devoted  missionaries  are  valiantly  striving 
to  do  their  best,  and  to  make  their  best  better,  day  by  day ; 
great  is  and  greater  yet  shall  be  their  reward.  Others  are 
lacking  in  energy  and  effort ;  their  work  is  done,  if  at  all, 
in  a  half-spirited  way,  and  their  thoughts  are  ever  running 
ahead  to  the  time  of  their  release  and  return. 

To  those  of  the  first  class  the  days  are  all  too  short 
and  the  months  too  few  for  the  exalted  labors  in  which 
they  find  such  genuine  satisfaction  and  happiness.  To  the 
others  the  days  drag  and  the  weeks  are  burdensome. 

The  individual  elder  is  left  largely  to  the  guidance  of 
the  spirit  of  his  calling,  with  which  he  should  be  imbued.  If 
he  fail  to  cultivate  that  spirit,  which  is  the  spirit  of  energy 
and  application,  he  will  soon  become  torpid,  indolent  and 
unhappy.  Every  missionary  should  strive  to  devote  part  of 


MISSIONARIES  455 

each  day  to  study  and  prayerful  thought  on  the  principles 
of  the  gospel  and  the  theology  of  the  Church.  He  should 
read  and  reflect  and  pray.  True,  we  are  opposed  to  the 
preparing  of  set  sermons  to  be  delivered  with  the  thought  of 
.oratorical  effect  and  rhetorical  display;  yet  when  an  elder 
arises  to  address  a  congregation  at  home  or  abroad,  he  should 
be  thoroughly  prepared  for  his  sermon.  His  mind  should  be 
well  stored  with  thoughts  worth  uttering,  worth  hearing, 
worth  remembering ;  then  the  spirit  of  inspiration  will  bring 
forth  the  truths  of  which  his  auditors  are  in  need,  and  give 
to  his  words  the  ring  of  authority. 

Brethren — you  to  whom  these  words  of  admonition 
apply,  for  your  own  sakes,  if  not  for  the  sake  of  those  whose 
welfare  is  your  charge — 'beware  of  indolence  and  neglect. 
The  adversary  is  only  too  eager  to  take  advantage  of  your 
apathy,  and  you  may  lose  the  very  testimony  of  which  you 
have  been  sent  to  bear  record  before  the  world. 

We  would  recommend  to  conference  presidents  and 
other  presiding  officers  in  the  various  branches  of  the 
Church,  that  where  possible,  they  have  the  elders  in  their 
charge  follow  regularly  and  systematically  a  study  of  the 
standard  works  and  other  approved  publications  of  the 
Church,  thus  more  fully  equipping  themselves  as  teachers  to 
the  world. 

There  is  little  excuse  for  the  idle  man  in  any  walk  of 
life;  work  is  abundant  for  every  one  who  will  labor;  hut 
least  of  all  is  there  excuse  or  palliation  in  the  case  of  a  listless 
or  idle  missionary  pretending  to  be  busy  in  the  service  of  his 
Lord. 

It  is  to  be  earnestly  recommended  that  elders  abroad  on 
missions,  as  indeed  Latter-day  Saints  in  general,  avoid  con- 
tentious argument  and  debate  regarding  doctrinal  subjects. 
The  truth  of  the  gospel  does  not  depend  for  its  demonstra- 
tion on  heated  discussion ;  the  message  of  truth  is  most  ef- 


456  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

fectively  delivered  when  expressed  in  words  of  simplicity 
and  sympathy. 

The  history  of  our  missionary  work  already  written 
proves  the  futility  of  public  debate  and  argument  between 
our  elders  and  their  opponents ;  and  this  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  in  the  great  majority  of  such  undertakings  the  forensic 
victory  has  been  won  by  our  representatives.  A  testimony 
of  the  truth  is  more  than  a  mere  assent  of  the  mind,  it  is  a 
conviction  of  the  heart,  a  knowledge  that  fills  the  whole  soul 
of  its  recipient. 

Missionaries  are  sent  forth  to  preach  and  teach  the  first 
principles  of  the  gospel,  Christ  and  him  crucified,  and  prac- 
tically nothing  more  in  the  way  of  theological  doctrine.  They 
are  not  commissioned  to  expound  their  own  views  on  intri- 
cate questions  of  theology,  nor  to  mystify  their  hearers  with 
a  show  of  profound  learning.  Teachers  they  are  and  must 
be,  if  they  meet  in  any  degree  the  responsibilities  of  their  high 
calling;  but  they  should  teach  as  nearly  as  they  can  after  the 
manner  of  the  Master — seeking  to  lead  by  love  for  their  fel- 
lows, by  simple  explanation  and  persuasion;  not 'trying  to 
convince  by  force. 

Brethren,  leave  these  themes  of  profitless  discussion 
alone ;  keep  closely  to  the  teachings  of  the  revealed  word,  as 
made  plain  in  the  standard  works  of  the  Church  and  through 
the  utterances  of  the  living  prophets ;  and  let  not  a  difference 
of  views  on  abstruse  matters  of  doctrine  absorb  your  at- 
tention lest  thereby  you  become  estranged  from  one  another 
and  separated  from  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord. 

The  standard  works  of  the  Church  and  other  approved 
writings  should  be  carefully  studied  and  commented  on  by 
the  brethren;  every  Latter-day  Saint  and  particularly  every 
elder  in  the  field  should  seek  to  become  learned  in  the  gos- 
pel; but  let  it  not  be  forgotten  that  to  understand  the  in- 
spired writings  aright  the  reader  must  himself  have  the 


MISSIONARIES  457 

spirit  of  inspiration ;  and  this  spirit  will  never  impel  one  to 
hostile  discussion  or  wordy  contests. 

Seek  first  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteousness,, 
and  all  else  that  is  desirable,  including  the  knowledge  for 
which  you  yearn,  shall  be  given  unto  you. — Juvenile  Instruc- 
tor, Vol.  38,  October  15,  1903,  p.  624. 

MISSIONARIES  AND  THE  WORD  OF  WISDOM.  Young 
men  cannot  hope  to  be  successful  missionaries  who  violate 
the  Word  of  Wisdom.  Its  observance  is  necessary  to  that 
spiritual  fervor  and  assurance  which  carry  conviction  to  the 
hearts'  of  those  who  receive  the  words  of  the  elders.  The 
absolute  necessity  of  the  observance  of  the  Word  of  Wisdom 
in  the  missionary  field  makes  it  desirable  that  all  who  violate 
this  important  law  to  the  people,  reform  before  they  can  hope 
to  accomplish  anything  helpful  to  others,  either  by  precept  or 
example. 

There  is  no  thoughtful  Latter-day  Saint  who  does  not 
look  forward  with  some  pleasure  to  the  time  when  his  son 
will  be  called  on  a  mission.  No  greater  honor  can  come  to  a 
home  than  a  call  to  represent  the  work  of  the  Lord  among 
the  nations ;  yet  parents  are  too  frequently  indifferent  about 
the  preparation  that  their  sons  receive  prior  to  the  call  to  fill 
a  mission.  Fundamental  in  that  preparaiton  is  the  observ- 
ance of  the  Word  of  Wisdom.  So  important  do  I  esteem  this 
subject  that  at  a  recent  conference  in  the  Beaver  stake  I 
was  led  to  speak  upon  it  at  considerable  length.  The  ex- 
tracts that  follow  from  that  discourse  should  be  of  interest 
and  deep  concern  to  every  reader  of  the  Juvenile  Instructor : 

"Now,  I  do  wish  with  all  my  heart — not  because  I  say 
it,  but  because  it  is  written  in  the  word  of  the  Lord — that 
you  would  give  heed  to  this  Word  of  Wisdom.  It  was  given 
unto  us  'not  by  commandment' ;  but  by  the  word  of  President 
Brigham  Young,  it  was  made  a  commandment  unto  the 
Saints.  It  is  written  here  for  our  guidance,  for  our  hap- 
piness and  advancement  in  every  principle  that  pertains  to 


458  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

the  kingdom  of  God,  in  time  and  throughout  eternity,  and  I 
pray  you  to  observe  it.  It  will  do  you  good;  it  will  ennoble 
your  souls ;  it  will  free  your  thoughts  and  your  hearts  from 
the  spirit  of  destruction ;  it  will  make  you  feel  like  God,  who 
sustains  even  the  sparrow,  that  it  does  not  fall  to  the 
ground  without  his  notice;  it  will  bring  you  nearer  to  the 
similitude  of  the  Son  of  God,  the  Savior  of  the  world,  who 
healed  the  sick,  who  made  the  lame  to  leap  for  joy,  who 
restored  hearing  to  the  deaf  and  sight  to  the  blind,  who 
distributed  peace,  joy,  and  comfort  to  all  with  whom  he  came 
in  contact,  and  who  cursed  and  destroyed  nothing,  save  it 
was  the  barren  fig  tree,  and  that  was  to  show  forth  his  power 
more  than  anything  else : 

"  'And  all  saints  who  remember  to  keep  and  do  these 
sayings,  walking  in  obedience  to  the  commandments,  shall 
receive  health  in  their  navel,  and  marrow  to  their  bones. 

"  'And  shall  find  wisdom  and  great  treasures  of  knowl- 
edge, even  hidden  treasures; 

"  'And  shall  run  and  not  be  weary,  and  shall  walk  and 
not  faint. 

"  'And  I,  the  Lord,  give  unto  them  a  promise,  that  the 
destroying  angel  shall  pass  by  them,  as  the  children  of 
Israel,  and  not  slay  them.'  Doc.  and  Cov.  89. 

"Are  these  glorious  promises  not  sufficient  to  induce  us 
to  observe  this  Word  of  Wisdom?  Is  there  not  something 
here  that  is  worthy  our  attention?  Are  not  'great  treas- 
ures' of  knowledge,  even  'hidden  treasures,'  something  to  be 
desired?  But  when  I  see  men  and  women  addicting  them- 
selves to  the  use  of  tea  and  coffee,  or  strong  drinks,  or  to- 
bacco in  any  form,  I  say  to  myself,  here  are  men  and  women 
who  do  not  appreciate  the  promise  God  has  made  unto 
them.  They  trample  it  under  their  feet,  and  treat  it  as  a 
thing  of  naught.  They  despise  the  word  of  God,  and  go 
contrary  to  it  in  their  actions.  Then  when  affliction  over- 
takes them,  they  are  almost  ready  to  curse  God,  because  he 


MISSIONARIES  459 

will  not  hear  their  prayers  and  they  are  left  to  endure  sick- 
ness and  pain. 

"And  among  the  least  things  that  we  should  do  is  to 
keep  the  Word  of  Wisdom.  Brethren  and  sisters,  do  not  be 
so  weak!  I  recollect  a  circumstance  that  occurred  three 
years  ago  in  a  party  that  I  was  traveling  with.  There  were 
one  or  two  who  persisted  in  having  their  tea  and  coffee  at 
every  place  they  stopped.  I  preached  the  Word  of  Wisdom 
right  along;  but  they  said,  'What  does  it  matter?  Here  is 
So-and-so,  who  drinks  tea  and  coffee.'  Thus  the  act  of  one 
woman  or  one  man  nullified  not  only  all  that  I  or  my  breth- 
ren ,said  in  relation  to  it,  but  also  the  word  of  God  itself. 
I  said  at  one  time,  'Oh,  yes,  you  say  it  is  a  good  thing  to 
drink  a  little  tea  or  coffee,  but  the  Lord  says  it  is  not. 
Which  shall  I  follow  ?'  The  Lord  says  that  if  we  will  ob- 
serve the  Word  of  Wisdom  we  shall  have  access  to  great 
treasures  of  knowledge,  and  hidden  treasures ;  we  shall  run 
and  not  be  weary,  we  shall  walk  and  not  faint;  and  the 
destroying  angel  shall  pass  us  by,  as  he  did  the  children  of 
Israel,  and  not  slay  us.  But  the  class  of  men  of  whom  I 
speak  say,  in  effect,  'We  don't  care  what  the  Lord  says  or 
promises,  we  will  drink  tea  and  coffee  anyhow.'  Such 
people  will  set  a  bad  example,  no  matter  what  others  say 
or  what  God  has  said.  They  will  take  the  bits  in  their 
own  mouths,  and  do  as  they  please,  regardless  of  the  effect 
upon  the  Saints.  I  say,  out  upon  such  practices!  If  I 
could  not  travel  with  the  people  of  God  and  observe  the 
laws  of  God,  I  would  quit  traveling.  But  if  the  Lord  will 
give  me  strength  to  keep  his  word,  so  that  I  can  teach  it 
conscientiously,  from  the  heart  as  well  as  from  the  lips,  I 
will  visit  you,  and  labor  with  you,  and  plead  with  you.  I 
will  pray  for  you  and  earnestly  beseech  you,  my  brethren  and 
sisters,  especially  the  young  men  of  Zion,  to  cease  prac- 
ticing these  forbidden  things,  and  observe  the  laws  of  God, 
so  that  you  can  run  and  not  be  weary,  walk  and  not  faint, 


460  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

and  have  access  to  great  treasures  of  knowledge,  hidden 
treasures,  and  every  blessing  that  the  Lord  has  promised 
through  obedience." — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  37,  Decem- 
ber, 1902,  p.  721. 

CAUTION  To  MISSIONARIES.  I  am  sorry  to  say  it,  but 
if  these  two  boys,  recently  drowned,  had  kept  away  from 
those  rivers,  where  they  had  no  special  duty,  or  calling, 
they  would  not  have  been  drowned  as  they  were.  I  would 
like  it  to  be  understood  by  the  presidents  of  missions,  and 
by  the  elders,  that  are  out  in  the  world,  that  it  is  not  a 
good  thing,  neither  is  it  at  all  wise  for  our  elders  to  go  out 
on  excursions,  on  dangerous  lakes,  or  streams,  or  bodies  of 
water,  just  for  fun.  They  would  better  keep  away.  The 
Lord  will  protect  them  in  the  discharge  of  their  duty ;  and 
if  they  are  more  careful  of  their  health,  there  will  not  be 
so  many  of  them  become  a  prey  to  disease.  We  know  of 
some  incidents  that  were  the  cause  of  the  death  of  some  of 
our  brethren  who  have  passed  away  in  the  mission  field. 
They  lacked  caution.  They  did  not  exercise  the  best  wis- 
dom and  judgment.  They  went  too  far  for  their  strength 
and  were  not  as  careful  of  themselves  as  they  ought  to 
have  been.  I  do  not  speak  this  to  blame  these  brethren. 
I  have  not  the  least  doubt  but  they  have  done  according  to 
the  best  wisdom  they  possessed;  but  there  is  such  a  thing 
as  overdoing.  A  man  may  fast  and  pray  till  he  kills  him- 
self, and  there  isn't  any  necessity  for  it;  nor  wisdom  in 
it.  I  say  to  my  brethren,  when  they  are  fasting,  and  pray- 
ing for  the  sick,  and  for  those  who  need  faith  and  prayer, 
do  not  go  beyond  what  is  wise  and  prudent  in  fasting  and 
prayer.  The  Lord  can  hear  a  simple  prayer,  offered  in  faith, 
in  half  a  dozen  words,  and  he  will  recognize  fasting  that  may 
not  continue  more  than  twenty-four  hours,  just  as  readily 
and  as  effectually  as  he  will  answer  a  prayer  of  a  thousand 
words  and  fasting  for  a  month.  Now,  remember  it.  I 
have  in  mind  elders  now  on  missions,  anxious  to  excel  their 


MISSIONARIES  461 

associates.  Each  wants  to  get  the  most  "red  marks"  of  credit, 
and  so  he  will  exert  himself  beyond  his  strength ;  and  it  is 
unwise  to  do  it.  The  Lord  will  accept  that  which  is  enough, 
with  a  good  deal  more  pleasure  and  satisfaction  than  that 
which  is  too  much  and  unnecessary.  It  is  good  to  be  earn- 
est, good  to  be  diligent,  to  persevere,  and  to  be  faithful  all 
the  time,  but  we  may  go  to  extremes  in  these  things,  when 
we  do  not  need  to.  The  Word  of  Wisdom  dictates  that  when 
we  become  weary  we  should  stop  and  rest.  When  we 
are  threatened  with  exhaustion  through  over  exertion, 
wisdom  would  caution  us  to  wait,  to  stop ;  not  to  take  a 
stimulant  to  urge  us  on  to  greater  extremes,  go  where  we 
can  retire  and  rest  and  recuperate  according  to  the  laws 
of  nature.  That  is  the  best  way  to  do. 

Now,  I  do  not  blame  my  dear  brethren  who  have  met 
with  death  abroad;  yet,  I  wish  that  they  could  and  would 
have  escaped  it.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1912,  pp.  134-135. 

HEALTH  OF  MISSIONARIES  To  BE  GUARDED.  Presi- 
dents of  all  the  Missions  are  under  strict  instructions  from 
the  Presidency  of  the  Church  to  guard  carefully  the  health 
of  the  elders  that  are  laboring  under  their  direction.  These 
presidents  of  Missions  are  also  under  instructions  to  send 
home  any  and  all  elders  whose  health  or  whose  other  cir- 
cumstances may  make  it  necessary  for  them  to  return. — 
Oct.  C.  R.f  1904,  p.  41. 

MISSIONARIES  IN  ILL  HEALTH.  I  would  like  to  ex- 
hort the  elders  who  are  upon  missions,  and  those  who  shall 
go  upon  missions  in  the  future,  not  to  allow  the  thoughts  to 
enter  their  hearts  that  they  will  be  criticised  or  be  made  to 
suffer  in  their  character  or  their  standing  in  the  Church  be- 
cause their  health  will  not  permit  them  to  fulfil  a  two  or 
three  years'  mission  abroad.  We  would  like  them  rather  te 
feel  in  themselves  a  wholesome  aversion  to  coming  home 
without  having  filled  an  honorable  mission,  when  their 
health  and  other  conditions  will  permit  them  to  do  so;  and 


462  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

if  they  have  any  reluctance  about  coming  home  at  all,  be- 
fore completing  their  missions,  it  should  be  based  upon  this 
principle.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1904,  p.  42. 

CARE  OF  RETURNED  MISSIONARIES.  It  is  also  a  good 
thing  for  the  bishops  in  all  the  wards  to  look  after  their 
returned  missionaries.  It  is  a  pity  that  after  so  many  of  our 
boys  who  go  abroad  and  fill  good  missions  return  home, 
they  should  be  apparently  dropped  or  ignored  by  the  pre- 
siding authorities  of  the  Church  and  be  permitted  to  drift 
away  again  into  carelessness  and  indifference,  and  event- 
ually, perhaps,  to  wander  entirely  away  from  their  Church 
duties.  They  should  be  kept  in  the  harness,  they  should 
be  made  active  in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  in  some  way 
that  they  may  better  keep  the  spirit  of  the  gospel  in  their 
minds  and  in  their  hearts  and  be  useful  at  home  as  well  as 
abroad. 

There  is  no  question  as  to  the  fact  that  missionary 
service  is  required  and  is  as  necessary  in  Zion,  or  here  at 
home,  as  it  is  abroad.  Many  people  seem  to  be  careless 
with  reference  to  the  proper  training  of  their  children.  We 
see  too  many  boys  that  are  falling  into  very  careless,  if  not 
into  pernicious,  ways  and  habits.  Every  missionary  boy 
who  returns  from  his  mission  full  of  faith  and  good  desire 
should  take  it  upon  himself  to  become  a  savior  as  far  as 
possible  of  his  young  and  less  experienced  associates  at 
home.  When  a  returned  missionary  sees  a  boy  falling  into 
bad  ways  and  is  becoming  accustomed  to  bad  habits,  he 
should  feel  that  it  is  his  duty  to  take  hold  of  him,  in  con- 
nection with  the  presiding  authorities  of  the  stake  or  of 
the  ward  in  which  he  lives,  and  exercise  all  the  power  and 
influence  he  can  for  the  salvation  of  that  erring  young  man 
who  has  not  the  experience  that  our  elders  abroad  have 
had,  and  thus  become  a  means  of  saving  many  and  of 
establishing  them  more  firmly  in  the  truth. — Oct.  C.  R., 
1914,  pp.  4-5. 


MISSIONARIES.  463 

WORK  FOR  RETURNED  MISSIONARIES.  Returned  mis- 
sionaries ought  to  be  in  demand  where  brave  hearts,  strong 
minds  and  willing  hands  are  wanted.  The  genius  of  the 
gospel  is  not  that  of  negative  goodness — mere  absence  of 
what  is  bad ;  it  stands  for  aggressive  energy  well  directed, 
for  positive  goodness — in  short,  for  work. 

We  hear  much  of  men  who  are  specially  gifted,  of 
geniuses  in  the  world's  affairs ;  and  many  of  us  force  our- 
selves to  think  that  we  are  capable  of  little  and  therefore  may 
as  well  take  life  easy  since  we  do  not  belong  to  that  favored 
class.  True,  not  all  are  endowed  with  the  same  gifts,  nor 
is  every  one  imbued  with  the  strength  of  a  giant ;  yet 
every  son  and  every  daughter  of  God  has  received  some 
talent,  and  each  will  be  held  to  strict  account  for  the  use 
or  misuse  to  which  it  is  put.  The  spirit  of  genius  is  the 
spirit  of  hard  work,  plodding  toil,  whole-souled  devotion  to 
the  labor  of  the  day. 

Let  no  one  think  that  any  honorable  labor  is  beneath 
him;  harbor  no  dislike  for  the  work  of  the  hands,  but  let 
the  mind  direct  them  in  skill  and  energy.  The  example  set 
by  our  late  beloved  President  Wilford  Woodruff  has  often 
been  cited  abroad,  and  held  up  for  the  admiration  and 
emulation  of  those  who  are  not  of  us ;  it  is  that  of  most  of 
the  leading  men  of  our  Church.  Even  in  his  old  age  he 
did  his  share  of  physical  toil,  and  rejoiced  in  his  ability  to 
"hoe  his  row"  and  hold  his  own  with  his  grand-children  on 
the  farm. 

"My  son,  be  up  and  doing,  and  the  Lord  be  with  thee. 
— Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  38,  p.  689. 

DUTY  OF  A  PERSON  CALLED  ON  A  MISSION.  When  a 
man  is  called  to  go  on  a  mission,  and  a  field  of  labor  is  as- 
signed to  him,  he  should,  I  think,  say  in  his  heart,  "Not  my 
will  be  done,  but  thine,  O  Lord." — Deseret  Weekly  Neivs, 
Vol.  33,  1884,  p.  226. 


CHAPTER  XXL 
False  Teachings 

THE  DEVIL'S  KNOWLEDGE.  The  devil  knows  the  Father 
much  better  than  we.  Lucifer,  the  son  of  the  morning,  knows 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  much  better  than  we ;  but  in  him 
it  is  not  and  will  not  redound  to  eternal  life ;  for  knowing,  he 
yet  rebels ;  knowing,  he  is  yet  disobedient ;  he  will  not  receive 
the  truth ;  he  will  not  abide  in  the  truth ;  hence  he  is  perdi- 
tion, and  there  is  no  salvation  for  him.  The  same  doctrine 
applies  to  me  and  to  you  and  all  the  sons  and  daughters  of 
God  who  have  judgment  and  knowledge  and  are  able  to 
reason  between  cause  and  effect,  and  determine  the  right 
from  the  wrong,  and  the  good  from  the  evil  and  who  are 
capable  of  seeing  the  light  and  distinguishing  it  from  the 
darkness.  Then  this  is  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  know 
the  only  true  and  living  God  and  his  Son  whom  he  has  sent 
into  the  world,  which  knowledge  comes  through  obedience 
to  all  his  commandments,  faith,  repentance  of  sin,  baptism 
by  immersion  for  the  remission  of  sins,  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of  hands  by  divine  authority,  and 
not  by  the  will  of  man.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1916,  p.  4. 

THE  ENEMY  OF  THRUTH  ALWAYS  ARRAYED  AGAINST 
THIS  WORK.  From  the  day  that  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith 
first  declared  his  vision  until  now,  the  enemy  of  all  righteous- 
ness, the  enemy  of  truth,  of  virtue,  of  honor,  uprightness, 
and  purity  of  life,  the  enemy  to  the  only  true  God,  the 
enemy  to  direct  revelation  from  God  and  to  the  inspirations 
that  come  from  the  heavens  to  man,  has  been  arrayed  against 
this  work.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1909,  p.  4. 

WHY  THE  TRUTH  is  HATED.  Why  should  men  be  embit- 
tered against  you  because  of  this,  because  of  your  belief  in 
Joseph  Smith?  Why  should  they  become  your  enemies 


FALSE  TEACHINGS.  465 

because  you  declare  your  faith  in  a  new  revelation  from  the 
Father  and  from  the  Son  to  mankind  for  their  guidance? 
Why  should  they  ?  Let  me  tell  you  why :  for  the  very  same 
reason  precisely  that  the  embittered  and  unbelieving  Phar- 
isees and  hypocrites  of  the  Savior's  time  persecuted  the 
Redeemer  of  earth,  for  the  very  reason  that  they  later  put 
to  death  the  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ,  whom  he  ordained  as 
apostles  and  as  special  witnesses  of  himself,  who  bore 
testimony  of  him  and  of  the  gospel  to  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth.  They  put  them  to  death  one  by  one,  some  of  them  in 
the  most  cruel  manner,  simply  because  they  preached  Jesus 
Christ,  and  him  crucified  and  risen  from  the  dead,  and 
ascended  into  heaven,  and  sitting  with  all  glory  and  power 
and  majesty  and  might  at  the  right  hand  of  his  Father,  God. 
The  world  felt  injured  by  it.  Why?  Because  it  laid  the  ax 
at  the  root  of  the  tree  of  error,  of  superstition,  and  of  tradi- 
tion, of  lack  of  faith,  and  unbelief.  It  laid  the  ax  at  the  root 
of  the  tree  of  wickedness,  in  the  world,  and  of  ignorance  of 
God  and  his  principles,  and  the  plan  of  life  and  salvation, 
and  the  world  hated  the  disciples  because  of  it,  and  they 
hated  the  Son  of  God  because  of  it,  and  they  crucified  him. 
They  hated  the  disciples  because  of  it,  and  they  put  them  to 
death.  That  is  why  they  hate  you,  for  the  same  reason ;  that 
is,  those  who  do  hate  you,  those  who  have  exercised  their 
power,  their  will  and  their  thoughts  or  minds  sufficiently  to 
be  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  persecution  and  hatred  against 
the  light  and  the  truth.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1911,  p.  5. 

ONLY  THOSE  WHO  DENY  THE  FAITH  CONTEND.  You 
find  the  spirit  of  contention  only  among  apostates  and  those 
who  have  denied  the  faith,  those  who  have  turned  away  from 
the  truth  and  have  become  enemies  to  God  and  his  work. 
There  you  will  find  the  spirit  of  contention,  the  spirit  of 
strife.  There  you  will  find  them  wanting  to  "argue  the 
question,"  and  to  dispute  with  you  all  the  time.  Their  food, 
their  meat,  and  their  drink  is  contention  which  is  abominable 

31 


466  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

in  the  sight  of  the  Lord.  We  do  not  contend.  We  are  not 
contentious,  for  if  we  were  we  would  grieve  the  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  from  us,  just  as  apostates  do  and  have  always 
done.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1908,  p.  7. 

BEWARE  OF  FALSE  TEACHERS.  I  know  that  this  is  the 
work  of  God,  and  he  is  carrying  it  on.  The  honor  of  triumph 
over  error,  sin  and  injustice  will  belong  to  God  and  not  to 
you  or  me,  or  any  other  man.  Some  men  there  will  be  who 
would  limit  the  power  of  God  to  the  power  of  men,  and  we 
have  some  of  these  among  us  and  they  have  been  among  our 
school  teachers.  They  would  have  you  disbelieve  the  inspired 
accounts  of  the  Scriptures  that  the  winds  and  the  waves  are 
not  subject  to  the  power  of  God.  That  the  claim  of  the 
Savior  to  cast  out  devils,  raise  the  dead,  or  perform  miracu- 
lous things,  such  as  cleanse  the  leper,  was  only  a  myth.  They 
would  make  you  believe  that  God  and  his  'son  Jesus  Christ 
did  not  appear  in  person  to  Joseph  Smith,  that  this  was 
simply  a  myth,  but  we  know  better ;  the  testimony  of  the 
Spirit  has  testified  that  this  is  the  truth.  And  I  say,  beware 
of  men  who  come  to  you  with  heresies  that  things  come  by 
laws  of  nature  of  themselves,  and  that  God  is  without  power. 
I  am  thankful  that  men  who  make  such  claims  are  few  in 
number  in  the  world,  and  I  hope  they  will  become  fewer 
still. — Logan  Journal,  April  7,  1914. 

WHERE  TO  EXPECT  FALSE  DOCTRINES.  Among  the 
Latter-day  Saints,  the  preaching  of  false  doctrines  disguised 
as  truths  of  the  gospel,  may  be  expected  from  people  of  two 
classes,  and  practically  from  these  only ;  they  are : 

First — The  hopelessly  ignorant,  whose  lack  of  intelli- 
gence is  due  to  their  indolence  and  sloth,  who  make  but 
feeble  effort,  if  indeed  any  at  all,  to  better  themselves  by 
reading  and  study;  those  who  are  afflicted  with  a  dread 
disease  that  may  develop  into  an  incurable  malady — laziness. 

Second — The  proud  and  self -vaunting  ones,  who  read  by 


FALSE  TEACHINGS.  467 

the  lamp  of  their  own  conceit ;  who  interpret  by  rules  of  their 
own  contriving;  who  have  become  a  law  unto  themselves, 
and  so  pose  as  the  sole  judges  of  their  own  doings.  More 
dangerously  ignorant  than  the  first. 

Beware  of  the  lazy  and  the  proud;  their  infection  in 
each  case  is  contagious ;  better  for  them  and  for  all  when 
they  are  compelled  to  display  the  yellow  flag  of  warning, 
that  the  clean  and  uninfected  may  be  protected. — Juvenile 
Instructor,  Vol.  41,  p.  178. 

KNOWLEDGE  OF  SIN  UNNECESSARY.  It  has  been  very 
wisely  said  that  "the  knowledge  of  sin  tempteth  to  its  com- 
mission." 

It  has  been  said  that  now  and  then  the  morbid  curiosity 
of  a  missionary  leads  him  into  questionable  places,  and  the 
only  excuse  he  has  for  visiting  these  dens  of  vice  is  that  he 
would  like  to  see  the  shady  side  of  life  in  some  of  our  great 
cities  that  he  may  know  thereof  for  himself.  He  wants  to  see 
"Paris  by  night"  in  order  that  he  may  know  something  of  the 
actual  life  of  vast  numbers  of  his  fellowmen.  Such  knowl- 
edge can  have  no  beneficial  effect  upon  the  thoughts  or 
feelings  of  the  missionary  who  seeks  it.  It  does  not  strenghten 
him  in  the  duties  of  his  calling.  It  is  a  peculiar  sort  of  knowl- 
edge that  is  enticing  to  the  feelings  and  imaginations,  and 
tends  in  some  measure  to  degrade  the  soul. 

It  is  not  necessary  that  our  young  people  should  know 
of  the  wickedness  carried  on  in  any  place.  Such  knowledge  is 
not  elevating,  and  it  is  quite  likely  that  more  than  one  young 
man  can  trace  the  first  step  of  his  downfall  to  a  curiosity 
which  led  him  into  questionable  places.  Let  the  young  men 
of  Zion,  whether  they  be  on  missions  or  whether  they  be  at 
home,  shun  all  dens  of  infamy.  It  is  not  necessary  that  they 
should  know  what  is  going  on  in  such  places.  No  man  is 
better  or  stronger  for  such  knowledge.  Let  them  remember 
that  "the  knowledge  of  sin  tempteth  to  its  commission,"  and 
then  avoid  those  temptations  that  in  time  to  come  may 


468  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

threaten  their  virtue  and  their  standing  in  the  Church  of 
Christ.—  Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  37,  May,  1902,  p,  304. 

RETREAT  FROM  EVIL.  Sometimes  in  life,  we  are  brought 
face  to  face  with  an  enemy  whose  evil  ways  are  beyond  our 
power  of  combat,  a  victory  over  which  cannot  be  hoped  for. 
There  is  only  one  escape  from  moral  annihilation  and  that 
is  in  retreat.  The  man  with  accumulated  and  unforgiven 
wrong  behind  him  may  find  all  retreat  cut  off  and  his 
condition  in  the  world  hopeless ;  and  he  who  recklessly  cuts 
off  every  opportunity  of  retreat  by  the  neglected  evils  of  the 
past  is  most  unfortunate. 

The  daily  practice,  then,  of  seeking  divine  mercy  and 
forgiveness  as  we  go  along,  gives  us  power  to  escape  evils, 
that  can  be  overcome  only  by  a  safe  retreat  from  them.— 
Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  44,  August,  1909,  p.  339. 

THE  LAW  OF  RECOMPENSE.  Let  me  impress  it  upon 
you  that  one  never  can  hold  quite  the  same  relation  to  a  law 
of  God  which  he  has  transgressed,  as  if  one  has  lived  in 
conformity  with  its  requirements.  It  is  unreasonable  to 
expect  it,  and  contrary  to  the  laws  of  nature  to  conclude  that 
you  can.  If  a  person  has  determined  that  sin  can  easily  be 
wiped  out,  and  hence,  that  he  will  enjoy  unlawful  pleasures 
in  youth,  repenting  in  later  life  with  an  idea  in  his  mind  that 
repentance  will  blot  out  completely  the  results  of  his  sin  and 
debauchery,  and  place  him  on  a  level  with  his  fellow  who 
has  kept  in  virtue  the  commandments,  from  the  beginning — 
time  will  wake  him  up  to  his  serious  and  great  mistake.  He 
may  and  will  be  forgiven,  if  he  repent ;  the  blood  of  Christ 
will  make  him  free,  and  will  wash  him  clean,  though  his  sins 
be  as  scarlet;  but  all  this  will  not  return  to  him  any  loss 
sustained,  nor  place  him  on  an  equal  footing  with  his  neigh- 
bor who  has  kept  the  commandments  of  the  better  law.  Nor 
will  it  place  him  in  the  position  where  he  would  have  been, 
had  he  not  committed  wrong.  He  has  lost  something  which 
can  never  be  regained,  notwithstanding  the  perfection,  the 


FALSE  TEACHINGS.  469 

loving  mercy,  the  kindness  and  forgiveness  of  the  Lord  God. 
—Improvement  Era,  Vol.  7,  January,  1904,  p.  225. 

SYMPATHY  WITH  CRIMINALS.  There  is  a  deplorable 
tendency  among  the  people  of  this  nation  to  sympathize  with 
murderers,  bank  defaulters,  evil  adventurers,  and  a  hundred 
other  classes  of  criminals  who  are  at  large  or  who  have  been 
arrested  or  convicted  for  breaking  the  law.  Such  a  tendency 
is  not  alone  manifest  among  the  people  of  the  various  states 
and  territories  of  our  nation,  it  is  also  apparent  among  the 
Latter-day  Saints.  This  sympathy  for  criminals  is  entirely 
abnormal,  and  has  a  tendency  to  lower  and  destroy  the  moral 
sentiment  of  any  people  who  indulge  in  it.  For  a  Latter-day 
Saint  to  sympathize  either  with  crime  or  with -criminals,  is  a 
burning  shame,  and  it  is  high  time  that  the  teachers  of  the 
community  should  stem  such  tendency  and  inculcate  a  senti- 
ment that  would  make  it  extremely  abhorent  to  commit 
crime.  Young  men  may  please  God  by  thinking  right,  by 
acting  right,  by  shunning,  as  they  would  destruction,  not 
only  every  crime,  but  the  spirit  to  either  see  or  sympathize 
with  the  criminal,  or  to  hear  or  read  the  detail  of  his  dam- 
nable acts.  It  is  an  old  saying,  that  we  are  what  we  think; 
then,  to  be  a  good  Latter-day  Saint  it  is  necessary  to  think 
pure  thoughts,  to  imbibe  pure  ideas,  and  to  let  the  mind  dwell 
continually  upon  the  noble  things,  and  the  good  deeds,  and 
the  exalted  thoughts  of  life,  discarding  all  sympathy  or 
interest  for  crime  and  criminals,  and  all  thought  of  evil.  The 
man  or  woman  who  will  resort  to  the  court  room,  who  will 
visit  criminals  with  flowers,  who  will  read  and  constantly 
duscuss  every  detail  of  crime,  should  be  condemned,  frowned 
upon,  and  their  actions  should  be  made  detestable  in  the 
eyes  of  the  pure  in  heart.  When  a  murderer  is  condemned, 
he  should  be  detested,  dropped,  and  forgotten ;  and  so  also 
should  criminals  of  other  classes  who  sin  grievously  against 
law  and  the  commandments  of  God. — Improvement  Era, 
Vol.  5,  August,  1902,  p.  803. 


470  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

THE  CRIME  OF  WITCHCRAFT  AND  OTHER  SUPERSTI- 
TIONS. After  all  the  horrors,  persecutions,  and  cruelties  that 
have  been  brought  about  by  the  senseless  belief  in  witchcraft, 
it  seems  strange  in  this  age  of  enlightenment  that  men  or 
women,  especially  those  who  have  received  the  gospel,  can 
be  found  anywhere  who  believe  in  such  a  pernicious  super- 
stition. The  Bible  and  history  alike  conclusively  brand  this 
superstition  as  a  child  of  evil.  In  ancient  times,  God  required 
the  Israelites  to  drive  the  Canaanites  from  their  land,  and 
witchcraft  was  one  of  the  crimes  which  he  laid  at  the  door 
of  the  Canaanites,  and  for  which  they  were  adjudged 
unworthy  of  the  land  which  they  possessed. 

Witchcraft  has  not  infrequently  been  the  last  resort  of 
the  evil  doer.  Men  bereft  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  when  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  has  ceased  to  warn  them,  have  frequently 
resorted  to  witchcraft,  in  the  endeavor  to  learn  that  which 
Heaven  withheld;  and  the  people  of  God  from  very  early 
days  to  the  present  have  been  troubled  with  superstitious  and 
evil-minded  persons  who  have  resorted  to  divination  and 
kindred  devices  for  selfish  purposes,  and  scheming  designs. 
In  the  middle  ages  it  rested  like  a  nightmare  upon  all 
Christendom. 

Let  it  not  be  forgotten  that  the  evil  one  has  great  power 
in  the  earth,  and  that  by  every  possible  means  he  seeks  to 
darken  the  minds  of  men,  and  then  offers  them  falsehood  and 
deception  in  the  guise  of  truth.  Satan  is  a  skilful  imitator, 
and  as  genuine  gospel  truth  is  given  the  world  in  ever- 
increasing  abundance,  so  he  spreads  the  counterfeit  coin  of 
false  doctrine.  Beware  of  his  spurious  currency,  it  will 
purchase  for  you  nothing  but  disappointment,  misery  and 
spiritual  death.  The  "father  of  lies"  he  has  been  called,  and 
such  an  adept  has  he  become,  through  the  ages  of  practice  in 
his  nefarious  work,  that  were  it  possible  he  would  deceive 
the  very  elect. 

Those  who  turn  to  soothsayers  and  wizards  for  their 


FALSE  TEACHINGS.  471 

information  are  invariably  weakening  their  faith.  When 
men  began  to  forget  the  God  of  their  fathers  who  had 
declared  himself  in  Eden  and  subsequently  to  the  later 
patriarchs,  they  accepted  the  devil's  substitute  and  made  for 
themselves  gods  of  wood  and  stone.  It  was  thus  that  the 
abominations  of  idolatry  had  their  origin. 

The  gifts  of  the  Spirit  and  the  powers  of  the  holy 
priesthood  are  of  God,  they  are  given  for  the  blessing  of  the 
people,  for  their  encouragement,  and  for  the  strengthening 
of  their  faith.  This  Satan  knows  full  well,  therefore  he  seeks 
by  imitation-miracles  to  blind  and  deceive  the  children  of 
God.  Remember  what  the  magicians  of  Egypt  accomplished 
in  their  efforts  to  deceive  Pharaoh  as  to  the  divinity  of  the 
mission  of  Moses  and  Aaron.  John  the  Revelator  saw  in 
vision  the  miracle-working  power  of  the  evil  one.  Note  his 
words :  "And  I  beheld  another  beast  coming  up  out  of  the 
earth ;  *  *  *  and  he  doeth  great  wonders,  so  that  he  maketh 
fire  come  down  from  heaven  on  the  earth  in  the  sight  of  men. 
And  deceiveth  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth,  by  the  means  of 
those  miracles,"  etc.  (Rev.  13:11-14.)  Further,  John  saw 
three  unclean  spirits  whom  he  describes  as  "the  spirits  of 
•devils,  working  miracles."  (Rev.  16:13-14.) 

That  the  power  to  work  wonders  may  come  from  an 
evil  source  is  declared  by  Christ  in  his  prophecy  regarding 
the  great  judgment :  "Many  will  say  to  me  in  that  day,  Lord, 
Lord,  have  we  not  prophesied  in  thy  name  ?  and  in  thy  name 
have  cast  out  devils  ?  and  in  thy  name  done  many  wonderful 
works  ?  And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never  knew  you ; 
depart  from  me,  ye  that  work  iniquity"  (Mate.  7:22-23). 

The  danger  and  power  for  evil  in  witchcraft  is  not  so 
much  in  the  witchcraft  itself  as  in  the  foolish  credulence  that 
superstitious  people  give  to  the  claims  made  in  its  behalf.  It 
is  outrageous  to  believe  that  the  devil  can  hurt  or  injure  an 
innocent  man  or  woman,  especially  if  they  are  members  of 
the  Church  of  Christ — without  that  man  or  woman  has  faith 


472  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

that  he  or  she  can  be  harmed  by  such  an  influence  and  by 
such  means.  If  they  entertain  such  an  idea,  then  they  are 
liable  to  succumb  to  their  own  superstitions.  There  is  no 
power  in  witchcraft  itself,  only  as  it  is  believed  in  and  ac- 
cepted.— Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  37,  p.  560. 

SUPERSTITIOUS  PRACTICES.  It  is  needless  to  assert  that 
to  those  who  are  intelligent,  and  not  bound  by  old  notions 
and  superstitions,  there  is  no  truth  in  what  people  call  witch- 
craft. Men  and  women  who  come  under  the  influence  of  a 
belief  therein  are  bewitched  by  their  own  foolishness,  and 
are  led  astray  by  pretenders  and  mischief-makers  who  "peep 
and  mutter."  It  is  really  astonishing  that  there  should  be 
any  to  believe  in  these  absurdities.  No  man  or  woman  who 
enjoys  the  Spirit  of  God  and  the  influence  and  power  of  the 
holy  priesthood  can  believe  in  these  superstitious  notions ; 
and  those  who  do,  will  lose,  indeed  have  lost,  the  influence 
of  the  Spirit  of  God  and  of  the  priesthood,  and  are  become 
subject  to  the  witchery  of  Satan,  who  is  constantly  striving 
to  draw  away  the  Saints  from  the  true  way,  if  not  by  the  dis- 
semination of  such  nonsense,  then  by  other  insidious  meth- 
ods. 

One  individual  can  not  place  an  affliction  upon  another 
in  the  way  that  these  soothsayers  would  have  the  people 
believe.  It  is  a  trick  of  Satan  to  deceive  men  and  women, 
and  to  draw  them  away  from  the  Church  and  from  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  the  power  of  his  holy 
priesthood,  that  they  may  be  destroyed.  These  peep-stone- 
men  and  women  are  inspired  by  the  devil,  and  are  the  real 
witches,  if  any  such  there  be.  Witchcraft,  and  all  kindred 
evils,  are  solely  the  creations  of  the  superstitious  imagina- 
tions of  men  and  women  who  are  steeped  in  ignorance,  and 
derive  their  power  over  people  from  the  devil,  and  those 
who  submit  to  this  influence  are  deceived  by  him.  Unless 
they  repent,  they  will  be  destroyed.  There  is  absolutely  no 
possibility  for  a  person  who  enjoys  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God 


FALSE  TEACHINGS.  473 

to  even  believe  that  such  influences  can  have  any  effect  upon 
him.  The  enjoyment  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  absolute  proof 
against  all  influences  of  evil ;  you  never  can  obtain  that 
Spirit  by  seeking  diviners,  and  men  and  women  who  "peep 
and  mutter."  That  is  obtained  by  imposition  of  hands  by 
the  servants  of  God,  and  retained  by  right  living.  If  you  have 
lost  it,  repent  and  return  to  God,  and  for  your  salvation's 
sake  and  for  the  sake  of  your  children,  avoid  the  emissaries 
of  Satan  who  "peep  and  mutter"  and  who  would  lead  you 
clown  to  darkness  and  death. 

It  is  impossible  for  anyone  possessing  the  spirit  of  the 
gospel  and  having  the  power  of  the  holy  priesthood  to  be- 
lieve in  or  be  influenced  by  any  power  of  necromancy. — 
Improvement  Era,  Vol.  5,  September,  1902,  p.  896-899. 

THE  MESSIAH  CRAZE.  Your  communication  has  been 
received.  In  response,  I  send  you  a  few  of  my  reflections 
on  the  subject  of  the  so-called  "Messiah  craze"  among  the 
Lamanites. 

Just  what  these  manifestations  have  been  is  a  matter 
of  some  doubt,  in  my  mind,  not  as  to  their  evident  purpose, 
judging  from  the  many  newspaper  reports  of  the  main  fea- 
tures of  the  manifestations  so  much  talked  about,  for  it 
seems  clear  that  the  purpose  or  object  thereof  has  been  to 
awaken  in  the  benighted  minds  of  these  degenerate  people 
a  belief  and  faith  in  and  ultimately  a  knowledge  of  a  cruci- 
fied and  risen  Redeemer,  and  the  righteous  precepts  which 
he  taught. 

That  God  will  manifest  his  purposes  to  the  Lamanites 
in  his  own  time  and  way  there  can  be  no  doubt  in  the  minds 
of  those  who  believe  in  the  divine  authenticity  of  the  Book 
of  Mormon — for  in  that  book  this  fact  is  made  unmistak- 
ably clear,  but  just  how  he  will  do  so  in  every  particular, 
and  just  what  agencies  he  will  use  to  bring  about  his  pur- 
poses in  this  regard,  may  be  matters  of  conjecture  beyond 
what  has  actually  been  revealed,  One  of  the  agencies,  we 


474  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

know  will  be  the  Book  of  Mormon  itself.  Through  the 
medium  of  the  holy  priesthood,  which  has  been  restored  to 
the  earth  in  these  latter  times,  God  will  also  operate  to  ac- 
complish his  will.  So  far,  however,  but  little  of  good  has 
been  effected  through  either  of  these  channels,  on  account 
of  the  extremely  benighted  condition  of  the  minds,  and  the 
wild,  nomadic  habits  of  the  red  men.  And  for  many  other 
sufficient  reasons  they  have  not  been  susceptible  to  the  im- 
pressions of  the  Holy  Spirit,  nor  capable  of  rising  to  the 
comprehension  of  its  power. 

The  time  had  not  come,  and  is  not  yet  come,  for  them 
to  receive  the  message  and  the  work  bequeathed  them  by 
their  fathers,  as  designed  of  God — but  the  time  will  come, 
and  may  be  nearer  at  hand  than  many  anticipate.  That  these 
supernatural  manifestations,  if  they  indeed  are  such,  indicate 
the  beginning  of  that  time  may  without  inconsistency  be  be- 
lieved. To  suppose  that  the  work  will  be  accomplished  in  a 
day — or  in  any  very  brief  period — would  be  folly.  God  has 
not  heretofore  worked,  nor  will  he  be  likely  to  so  work 
among  this  remnant  of  his  people.  Their  fall  and  degrada- 
tion came  slowly,  by  degrees,  and  in  like  manner  will  their 
redemption,  doubtless,  come  to  pass.  Yet  he  will  cut  his 
work  short  in  righteousness,  and  it  behooves  the  Saints  to 
be  always  ready. 

That  the  Lord  will  hasten  their  enlightenment  by  means 
of  dreams,  visions,  and  heavenly  manifestations,  when  the 
time  shall  come,  and  that  holy  messengers  may  appear  to 
them  from  time  to  time  and  that  among  them  shall  yet  be 
inspired  men  of  God  raised  up  as  teachers  to  instruct  them 
in  the  truth,  we  cannot  doubt,  for  these  things  have  been 
promised  in  the  last  times  both  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  and 
in  the  Bible,  and  also  in  the  revelations  to  Joseph  Smith  the 
prophet.  But  all  these  things  will  come  to  pciss  as  God  has 
determined,  in  his  own  time  and  way.  And  blessed  will  he 
be  who  shall  be  worthy  to  bear  the  message  of  good  tidings 


FALSE  TEACHINGS.  475 

and  the  offering  of  peace,  the  word  of  God  and  the  means 
of  redemption  to  the  seed  of  Joseph,  to  whom  the  promises 
are  made,  and  woe  to  him  who  shall  despise  and  scoff  in  the 
day  of  God's  power. 

With  reference  to  who  the  personage  is  (one  or  more) 
who  is  claimed  by  the  Lamanites  to  have  visited  them,  there 
appears  to  me  to  be  room  for  grave  doubts.  From  all  the 
reports  I  have  seen  upon  this  subject,  it  is  not  at  all  con- 
clusive to  my  mind  that  he  was  indeed  the  Messiah.  Upon 
this  point  we  must  consider  the  sources  of  our  information ; 
it  has  come  to  us  second  handed,  through  interpreters  and 
writers  whose  knowledge  of  the  Lamanitish  tongues  may  or 
may  not  be  very  imperfect,  who  have  absolutely  no  knowl- 
edge of  the  ancient  history  of  the  race,  and  of  the  purposes 
and  promises  of  God  concerning  them.  That  they  know  the 
scriptural  account  of  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  his  crucifixion, 
resurrection,  and  ascension  on  high,  with  the  promise  to 
come  again  in  like  manner  as  he  ascended,  and  this  only,  we 
need  not  question ;  but  knowing  only  this  and  nothing  more 
respecting  this  matter,  they  might  easily  be  misled  by  the 
reports  coming  from  persons  far  removed  from  the  actual 
witnesses. 

And  yet  to  a  Latter-day  Saint,  who  knows  something  of 
the  history  of  those  people  and  of  the  promises  made  to  them 
by  their  forefathers,  hearing  the  same  story,  would  conclude 
that  perhaps  one  or  more  of  the  three  Nephite  disciples  who 
tarried,  whose  mission  was  to  minister  to  the  remnants  of 
their  own  race,  had  made  an  appearance  to  Porcupine  and 
perhaps  to  many  others,  and  taught  them  Jesus  and  him 
crucified  and  risen  from  the  dead,  and  that  he  was  soon  to 
come  again  in  power  and  great  glory  to  avenge  them  of 
their  wrongs  upon  the  wicked  and  restore  them  to  their  lands 
and  to  the  knowledge  of  their  fathers  and  of  the  Son  of 
God. 

This  would  be  a  very  natural  conclusion  and  not  at  all 


476  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

inconsistent  with  the  established  principles  of  the  gospel 
and  our  knowledge  of  the  manner  of  God's  dealings  with 
the  children  of  men.  While  it  is  more  than  likely  that  Christ 
might  send  messengers  to  the  Lamanites  to  prepare  the  way 
for  his  coming  in  the  fulness  of  time,  it  is  highly  improbable 
that  Christ  himself  would  appear  to  a  people  so  utterly  un- 
prepared to  receive  and  comprehend  him. 

True,  the  Father  and  the  Son  appeared  to  the  boy  Jo- 
seph in  the  beginning  of  this  dispensation,  but  he  was  a 
chosen  instrument  from  eternity  to  open  up  the  last  dispen- 
sation of  the  gospel,  and  God  had  prepared  a  chosen  band  to 
join  him  in  that  work.  But  Moroni,  John,  Peter,  James  and 
John,  and  diverse  other  messengers  were  sent  to  open  the 
way  and  prepare  the  foundations  of  this  great  work  and  re- 
store the  records  of  the  ancient  people  of  this  continent  to 
the  world.  The  foundations  of  that  work  having  been  laid, 
the  authority  of  God  established,  the  order  of  the  Priesthood 
and  the  laws  of  the  Church  revealed,  shall  we  look  for  these 
things  to  be  ignored,  or  for  the  knowledge  of  God  to  come 
through  the  appointed  channels  ? 

While  they  will  come  in  harmony  with  revealed  and 
established  truth,  and  not  in  conflict  therewith,  nor  in  con- 
flict with  the  order  of  heaven  which  exists  on  the  earth,  the 
object  to  be  attained  by  such  manifestations  as  the  Laman- 
ites claim  to  have  had,  admitting  the  same  to  be  true  and 
from  God,  can  be  no  other  than  to  begin  the  preparation  of 
the  Lamanites  to  receive  a  correct  knowledge  of  God  and  of 
their  fathers,  and  of  the  holy  gospel  already  revealed  and 
established  among  men,  that  they  might  believe,  obey  and  be 
saved  thereby. 

Far  be  it  from  me  to  wish  to  close  the  channels  of  com- 
munication between  the  Savior  of  the  world  himself  and  the 
remnants  of  Lehi.  No  one  can  be  more  free  to  admit  his  per- 
fect right  and  power  to  visit  whom  he  pleases,  at  his  pleas- 
ure, for  the  channels  of  communication  between  God  and 


FALSE  TEACHINGS.  477 

man  cannot  be  cut  off  nor  closed  by  man,  nor  ever  will  be 
while  God  has  a  purpose  to  accomplish  by  revealing  him- 
self. But  that  we  may  not  be  deceived,  led  into  error, 
tossed  to  and  fro  by  every  wind  of  doctrine,  the  foolish 
vagaries  or  the  cunning  craftiness  of  men,  or  follow  the 
false  cry  of,  Lo  here  is  Christ,  or  there,  God  has  instituted 
the  true  order  of  communication  between  himself  and  man,, 
and  has  established  it  in  his  Church,  and  to  this  truth  all 
mankind  wMl  do  well  to  take  heed,  lest  they  be  deceived. 
That  which  is  in  harmony  with  this  is  of  God,  that  which  is 
contrary  to  it  is  from  beneath.  It  is  in  perfect  harmony  with 
the  order  of  heaven  for  ministering  spirits  or  messengers 
from  God  or  Christ  to  visit  the  Lamanites  or  any  other  peo- 
ple, as  Cornelius  of  old  was  visited,  and  as  Christ  visited 
Saul,  and  for  the  same  purposes. — Letter  to  Editor  of  Young 
Woman's  Journal  in  answer  to  question  regarding  reported 
visitations  to  Indians.  Young  Woman's  Journal,  Vol  2, 
1890-1891,  pp.  268-271. 

ONE  MIGHTY  AND  STRONG.  In  conclusion  we  would 
say  that  the  Latter-day  Saints  by  this  time  should  be  so 
well  settled  in  the  conviction  that  God  has  established  his 
Church  in  the  earth  for  the  last  time,  to  remain,  and  no  more 
to  be  thrown  down  or  destroyed ;  and  that  God's  house  is  a 
house  of  order,  of  law,  of  regularity,  that  erratic  disturbers 
of  that  order  of  men  of  restless  temperament,  who,  through 
ignorance  and  egotism,  become  vain  babblers,  yet  make  great 
pretentions  to  prophetic  powers  and  other  spiritual  graces 
and  gifts,  ought  not  to  have  any  influence  wrth  them,  nor 
ought  the  Saints  to  be  disturbed  in  their  spirit  by  such  char- 
acters and  their  theories.  The  Church  of  Christ  is  with  the 
Saints.  It  has  committed  to  it  the  law  of  God  for  its  own 
government  and  perpetuation.  It  possesses  every  means  for 
the  correction  of  every  wrong  or  abuse  or  error  which  may 
from  time  to  time  arise,  and  that  without  anarchy,  or  even 
revolution ;  it  can  do  it  by  process  of  evolution — by  develop- 


478  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

ment,  by  an  increase  of  knowledge,  wisdom,  patience  and 
charity. 

The  presiding  quorums  of  the  Church  will  always  be 
composed  of  such  men,  they  will  be  chosen  in  such  manner, 
that  the  Saints  can  be  assured  that  solid  wisdom,  righteous- 
ness, and  conscientious  adherence  to  duty,  will  characterize 
the  policy  of  those  who  are  en-trusted  with  the  administra- 
tion of  the  affairs  of  the  Church.  While,  from  time  to  time, 
as  the  work  of  the  Lord  may  have  need  of  their  services,  men 
of  exceptional  talents  and  abilities,  will  develop  among  the 
people  of  God ;  and  without  disorder  or  eruption  or  excite- 
ment, they  will  be  called  of  the  Lord  through  the  appointed 
agencies  of  the  priesthood  and  Church  authority,  to  positions 
that  will  afford  them  opportunity  for  service.  They  will  be 
accepted  by  the  Saints  in  the  regular  order,  appointed  by 
the  law  of  the  Church,  just  as  Edward  Partridge  was  called 
and  accepted,  and  just  as  the  "one  mighty  and  strong"  will  be 
called  and  accepted  when  the  time  comes  for  his  services. 

JOSEPH  F.  SMITH, 
JOHN  R.  WINDER, 
ANTHON  H.  LUND, 

First  Presidency. 

—Improvement  Era,  Vol.  10,  1906-7,  pp.  929-943. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Auxiliary  Organizations 

DEFINITION  OF  AUXILIARY  ORGANIZATIONS.  I  have 
in  mind  our  auxiliary  organizations;  what  are  they?  Helps 
to  the  standard  organizations  of  the  Church.  They  are  not 
independent.  I  want  to  say  to  the  Young  Men's  and  Young 
Ladies'  Mutual  Improvement  Associations,  and  to  the  Relief 
Society,  ;md  to  the  Primaries,  and  to  the  Sunday  schools, 
and  Religion  classes,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  organizations  in 
the  Church,  that  not  one  of  them  is  independent  of  the 
priesthood  of  the  Son  of  God,  not  any  of  them  can  exist 
a  moment  in  the  acceptance  of  the  Lord  when  they  withdraw 
from  the  voice  and  from  the  counsel  of  those  who  hold  the 
priesthood  and  preside  over  them.  They  are  subject  to  the 
powers  and  authority  of  the  Church,  and  they  are  not  inde- 
pendent of  them ;  nor  can  they  exercise  any  rights  in  their 
organizations  independently  of  the  priesthood  and  of  the 
Church.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1913,  p.  7. 

PLACE  OF  AUXILIARY  ORGANIZATIONS  IN  THE  CHURCH. 
It  is  sometimes  argued  that  the  auxiliary  organizations  of 
the  Church  are  not  councils  of  the  priesthood.  This  is  ad- 
mitted, but,  on  the  other  hand,  the  board's — general,  stake 
and  ward — are  composed  of  men  holding  the  priesthood,  and 
though  being  called  to  be  an  officer  in  an  auxiliary  organiza- 
tion confers  no  additional  office  in  the  priesthood,  it  takes 
none  away — the  brother  still  remains  a  high  priest,  seventy, 
or  elder  as  before.  Furthermore,  the  officers  of  these  organ- 
izations are  duly  presented  at  the  general  or  local  confer- 
ences, as  the  case  may  be,  and  are  there  sustained  by  the 
vote  of  the  people,  and  by  that  vote,  these  organizations  be- 
come recognized  institutions  of  the  Church,  and  as  such 
the  officers  should  be  respected  in  their  callings  and  given 


480  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

recognition  and  support  in  the  performance  of  their  duties 
in  all  that  relates  to  the  bodies  which  they  represent. 

The  principles  laid  down  in  the  foregoing  relating  to  the 
Sunday  Schools  apply  equally  to  all  auxiliary  organizations 
of  the  Church. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  39,  January  1, 
1904,  pp.  17-18. 

RELATION  BETWEEN  AUTHORITIES  OF  WARD  AND  AUX- 
ILIARY ORGANIZATIONS.  Questions  are  frequently  asked 
touching  the  relationship  that  should  exist  between  the  pre- 
siding authorities  of  a  ward  and  the  authorities  of  an  aux- 
iliary organization,  such,  for  example,  as  the  superintendent 
of  the  Sunday  School.  The  organizations  of  the  Church  are 
intended  to  promote  harmony,  and  if  understood  there  is  no 
reason  why  discord  should  arise  between  the  bishop  and 
those  called  upon  to  act  in  the  auxiliary  organizations.  The 
question  is  often  asked,  for  instance,  who  should  select  and 
install  a  superintendent  of  a  Sunday  School,  or  what  step 
should  be  taken  in  cases  where  the  superintendent  of  a 
school  for  any  reason  whatever  vacates  his  office.  The  first 
step  in  case  the  superintendent  vacates  his  office  is  for  his 
first  or  second  assistant,  as  the  case  may  be,  to  request  the 
secretary  of  the  school  either  to  notify  or  remind  the  bishop 
of  the  ward  of  the  vacancy,  and  at  the  same  time  notify,  the 
stake  superintendent  of  Sunday  Schools;  and  this  notice  or 
reminder  should  be  given  to  the  bishop  and  stake  super- 
intendent at  the  earliest  possible  convenience  in  order  that 
all  unnecessary  delays  may  be  avoided.  The  second  step  in 
such  cases,  is  the  selection  of  the  proper  officer  or  officers  to 
fill  the  vacancy  or  vacancies.  It  is,  of  course,  within  the 
authority  of  the  bishop  of  a  ward  to  select  and  install  the 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School  in  his  ward,  but  bish- 
ops of  wards  should  not  take  such  a  step  without  the  co- 
operation of  the  stake  superintendent.  This  last  named 
officer  represents  the  presidency  of  the  stake  in  carrying  on 
the  work  of  this  auxiliary  organization  of  the  Church.  The 


AUXILIARY   ORGANIZATIONS  481 

stake  presidency  holds  the  stake  superintendent  responsible 
in  a  large  measure  for  the  character  of  the  man  and  the 
progress  of  the  work  of  the  Sunday  Schools  throughout  the 
stake,  and  the  bishops  therefore  who  proceed  to  select  and 
install  the  ward  superintendent  without  the  approval  or 
knowledge  of  the  stake  superintendent,  does  not  show  proper 
respect  for  him  or  for  the  stake  president,  who  is  entitled  to 
be  represented,  in  the  selection  of  a  ward  superintendent. 
On  the  other  hand,  a  stake  superintendent  is  not  author- 
ized to  organize  the  superintendency  of  a  Sunday  School 
without  consulting  the  bishop  of  the  ward,  with  whom  it  is 
his  duty  to  be  in  complete  harmony.  There  is  wisdom,  as 
well  as  order,  in  the  mutual  recognition  of  these  stake  and 
ward  authorities.  In  the  first  place,  the  superintendent,  by 
reason  of  his  experience  in  Sunday  School  work,  and  his 
knowledge  of  the  special  qualifications  required,  may  be, 
from  his  point  of  view,  well  qualified  to  make  suitable  rec- 
ommendations. On  the  other  hand,  the  bishop  is,  or  at  any 
rate  should  be,  more  familiar  than  any  one  else  with  the 
character  and  daily  lives  of  the  members  of  his  ward.  After 
satisfying  the  special  requirements  made  by  a  stake  super- 
intendent there  may  be  wanting  in  the  proposed  ward  super- 
intendent same  indispensable  characteristics,  or  there  may 
be  some  tin  worthiness  known  only  to  the  bishop.  If  the 
stake  superintendent  therefore,  and  the  bishop  of  the  ward 
approach  each  other  in  a  spirit  of  harmony  and  mutual  help- 
fulness there  is  no  reason  why  they  may  not  be  united  in 
nearly  every  instance  upon  the  most  suitable  man.  Should 
a  case  arise  in  which  the  bishop  and  stake  superintendent 
find  themselves  unable  to  agree,  or  both  wish  to  defer  to  the 
judgment  of  some  higher  authority,  the  proper  step  to  take 
is  to  submit  the  matter  to  the  president  of  the  stake  for  his 
judgment  or  decision,  as  the  case  may  be.  When  such  an 
agreement  has  been  arrived  at,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  bishop  to 
install  the  new  superintendent  in  his  office. 

32 


482  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

In  connection  with  the  subject  here  touched  upon,  a 
question  has  also  arisen  respecting  the  propriety  of  a  bishop 
presiding  over  a  Sunday  School  when  the  superintendent  is 
present.  If  I  were  bishop,  I  should  recognize  with  scru- 
pulous care  all  the  presiding  officers  in  my  ward,  and  should 
think  it  discourteous  to  them  to  assume  the  duties  to  which 
they  had  been  called.  There  are,  without  doubt,  instances 
where  the  bishop  can  with  propriety  offer  suggestions  that 
will  be  helpful  to  the  superintendent  without  the  least  hu- 
miliation to  him ;  and  there  may  be  extreme  cases  in  which 
the  bishop  would  be  justified  in  assuming  the  control  of  a 
school,  but  it  should  not  be  the  rule.  On  the  other  hand,  if  1 
were  a  school  superintendent  I  would  show  the  greatest 
deference  to  the  bishop  whenever  he  was  present,  and  aim 
as  far  as  possible  to  satisfy  his  wishes,  and  make  the  school 
all  he  could  desire  it  should  be. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol. 
39,  January,  1904,  pp.  16-17. 

PURPOSE  AND  DUTIES  OF  RELIEF  SOCIETY.  A  word  or 
two  "in  relation  to  the  Relief  Society.  This  is  an  organiza- 
tion that  was  established  by  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith.  It  is, 
therefore,  the  oldest  auxiliary  organization  of  the  Church, 
.and  it  is  of  the  first  importance.  It  has  not  only  to  deal  with 
the  necessities  of  the  poor,  the  sick  and  the  needy,  but  a 
part  of  its  duty — and  the  larger  part,  too — is  to  look  after 
the  spiritual  welfare  and  salvation  of  the  mothers  and  daugh- 
ters of  Zion;  to  see  that  none  is  neglected,  but  that  all  are 
guarded  against  misfortune,  calamity,  the  powers  of  darkness, 
and  the  evils  that  threaten  them  in  the  world.  It  is  the  duty 
of  the  Relief  Societies  to  look  after  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
themselves  and  of  all  the  female  members  of  the  Church.  It 
is  their  duty  to  collect  means  from  those  who  have  in  abun- 
dance, and  distribute  it  wisely  unto  those  in  need.  It  is  a 
part  of  their  duty  to  see  that  there  are  those  capable  of  being- 
nurses  as  well  as  teachers  and  exemplars  in  Zion,  and  that 
they  have  an  opportunity  to  become  thoroughly  prepared  for 


AUXILIARY   ORGANIZATIONS  483 

this  great  labor  and  responsibility.  I  have  heard  of  a  dis- 
position on  the  part  of  some  of  our  sisters  to  become  a  law 
unto  themselves  in  relation  to  these  things.  I  would  like  to 
say  that  it  is  expected  of  the  Relief  Society,  especially  the 
general  authorities  of  that  great  organization,  that  they  will 
have  a  watchcare  over  all  its  organizations  among  the 
women  of  Zion.  They  stand  at  the  head  of  all  such ;  they 
ought  to  stand  at  the  head,  and  they  should  magnify  their 
calling,  and  see  to  it  that  error  is  not  permitted  to  creep  in, 
that  cabals  are  not  formed,  that  secret  combinations  may  not 
get  a  foothold,  to  mislead  the  sisters.  They  should  see  to  it 
that  the  other  organizations  of  women  in  the  Church  corre- 
spond and  are  in  harmony  with  their  organization.  Why 
should  this  be?  In  order  that  the  women  of  Zion  may  be 
united,  that  their  interests  may  be  in  common,  and  not 
conflicting  or  segregated,  and  that  the  purpose  of  this  organ- 
ization may  be  realized  and  the  organization  itself  be  effec- 
tive for  good  in  every  part  of  the  Church  throughout  the 
world,  wherever  the  gospel  is  preached.  We  realize  that  it 
is  impossible  for  men  or  women  possessing  physical  weak- 
nesses on  account  of  age  or  infirmities,  to  meet  every  re- 
quirement ;  but  we  expect  every  man  and  woman  entrusted 
with  responsibility -in  the  Church  to  do  their  duty  to  the. 
utmost  of  their  ability.  That  we  look  for ;  that  we  pray  for ; 
for  that  we  labor  to  the  best  of  the  ability  and  strength  we 
possess.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1906,  pp.  3-4. 

OBJECTS  OF  THE  RELIEF  SOCIETY.  Furthermore,  I  de- 
sire to  commend  the  work  of  the  Relief  Society,  an  organ- 
ization that  was  effected  by  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith.  The 
objects  of  this  organization  are  manifold.  It  is  not  de- 
'signed  to  look  only  after  the  poor  and  the  needy  as  to  their 
bodily  necessities,  but  it  is  also  intended  to  look  after  the 
spiritual,  mental  and  moral  welfare  of  the  mothers  and 
d'; lighters  in  Zion,  and  all  who  are  engaged  or  interested  in 
female  work.  I  commend  the  Relief  Societies  to  the  bishops, 


484  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

and  say,  be  friendly  to  these  organizations,  because  they  are 
auxiliary  organizations  and  a  great  help  to  the  bishops. — 
Oct.  C.  R.,  1902,  p.  88. 

DUTIES  AND  PURPOSE  OF  THE  RELIEF  SOCIETY.  I  will 
speak  of  the  Relief  Society  as  one  great  organization  in  the 
Church,  organized  by  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  whose  duty 
it  is  to  look  after  the  interests  of  all  the  women  of  Zion  and 
of  all  the  women  that  may  come  under  their  supervision  and 
care,  irrespective  of  religion,  color  or  condition.  I  expect  to 
see  the  day  when  this  organization  will  be  one  of  the  most 
perfect,  most  efficient  and  effective  organizations  for  good  in 
the  Church ;  but  that  day  will  be  when  we  shall  have  women 
who  are  not  only  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  with  the  testimony  of  Christ  in  their  hearts,  but 
also  with  youth,  vigor  and  intelligence  to  enable  them  to 
discharge  the  great  duties  and  responsibilities  that  rest  upon 
them.  Today  it  is  too  much  the  case  that  our  young,  vigor- 
ous, intelligent  women  feel  that  only  the  aged  should  be 
connected  with  the  Relief  Society.  This  is  a  mistake.  We 
want  the  young  women,  the  intelligent  women,  women  of 
faith,  of  courage  and  of  purity  to  be  associated  with  the 
Relief  Societies  of  the  various  stakes  and  wards  of  Zion. 
"We  want  them  to  take  hold  of  this  work  with  vigor,  with 
intelligence  and  unitedly,  for  the  building  up  of  Zion  and  the 
instruction  of  women  in  their  duties — domestic  duties,  public 
duties,  and  every  duty  that  may  devolve  upon  them. — Apr. 
C.  R.}  1907,  p.  6. 

THE  RELIEF  SOCIETY.  I  can  say  the  same  with  refer- 
ence to  the  first  and  most  important  auxiliary  organization 
of  the  Church,  that  of  the  Relief  Society.  They  have  been 
doing  the  best  they  could ;  but  now  we  have  suggested  a 
complete  organization  of  that  society,  that  is,  the  general 
authorities  of  that  organization;  and  we  trust  that  from 
this  time  forth,  they  will  be  able  to  begin  with  renewed  en- 
ergy, judgment  and  wisdom,  the  performance  of  the  duties 


AUXILIARY   ORGANIZATIONS          485 

that  devolve  upon  them,  even  those  who  are  called  to  take 
the  oversight  of  this  great  work  in  Zion,  the  Relief  Society 
organization. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1911,  p.  7. 

OBJECT  OF  SUNDAY  SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCH  SCHOOLS. 
The  object  of  our  Sunday  Schools  and  the  object  of  our 
Church  schools',  the  great,  the  paramount  object,  is  to  teach 
our  children  the  truth,  teach  them  to  be  honorable,  pure- 
minded,  virtuous,  honest  and  upright,  and  enable  them,  by  our 
advice  and  counsel  and  by  our  guardianship  over  them,  until 
they  reach  the  years  of  accountability,  to  become  the  honor- 
able of  the  earth,  the  good  and  the  pure  among  mankind, 
the  virtuous  and  the  upright,  and  those  who  shall  be  worthy 
to  enter  the  house  of  God  and  not  be  ashamed  of  themselves 
in  the  presence  of  angels,  if  they  should  come  to  visit  them. 
—Apr.  C.  R.,  1903,  p.  82. 

THE  TEACHER  ESSENTIAL  IN  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  WORK. 
One  of  the  essentials  to  a  good  Sunday  School  is  to  have 
good,  pure-minded,  intelligent,  noble,  true  and  faithful  teach- 
ers. If  you  will  have  a  child  develop  to  what  he  should  be, 
he  that  teaches  the  child  should  be  developed  to  what  he 
ought  to  be ;  and  until  he  is  developed  in  intelligence,  in 
faith,  in  works  of  righteousness,  in  purity  of  heart  and  mind 
and  spirit,  he  is  not  in  a  very  good  position  to  elevate  others 
to  it—  Oct.  C.  R.,  1903,  p.  99. 

THE  FIRST  QUALIFICATION  OF  A  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 
TEACHER.  The  first  qualification  for  a  teacher  in  our  Sun- 
day Schools  is  that  he  be  heart  and  soul  a  Latter-day  Saint. 
He  must  believe  in  and  unreservedly  accept  the  doctrines  of 
the  Church,  otherwise  his  teachings  will  be  subversive  of  the 
very  purpose  for  which  these  schools  are  maintained. 

It  is  a  self-evident  truth,  that  no  one  can  give  what  he 
does  not  possess ;  and  the  teacher  who  is  lacking  a  testimony 
of  the  gospel  can  never  inspire  such  testimony  in  his  pu- 
pils. 

The  measure  of  personal  liberty  allowed  by  our  liberal 


486  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

Church  organization  in  the  matter  of  giving  instruction  is 
great ;  but  such  liberty  must  not  be  degraded  into  a  license 
to  teach  as  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  what  is  but  the  per- 
sonal belief  of  the  individual.  A  teacher  rinding  himself  a 
non-believer  in  any  of  the  principles  or  tenets  of  the  Church, 
will,  if  he  be  truly  honorable,  voluntarily  ask  release  from 
his  position.  No  one  can  in  righteousness  be  asked  to  teach 
what  he  does  not  believe  and  accept  as  the  truth ;  nor  will 
one  who  is  sincere  in  his  convictions  attempt  to  do  so;  still 
less  will  any  teacher  who  loves  the  truth  dishonor  his  posi- 
tion by  employing  its  opportunities  to  inculcate  personal 
views  not  in  harmony  with  the  teachings  of  the  Church. — 
Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  39,  April  1,  1914,  p.  210. 

THE  PRINCIPLE  OF  SABBATH  SCHOOL  TEACHING.  There 
is  one  point  that  has  rested  upon. my  mind  in  relation  to  the 
Sabbath  Schools,  and  it  is  this :  I  think  there  is  nothing  in 
the  Sunday  School  work  more  necessary  or  essential  than 
that  all  the  teachers  of  the  Sunday  Schools  should  win  the 
love  and  the  confidence  of  their  pupils.  I  believe  that 
greater  good  can  be  done  in  the  Sunday  Schools  by  the 
teachers  where  they  have  the  absolute  affection  and  con- 
fidence of  their  pupils  than  under  any  other  conditions.  You 
may  teach  them,  you  may  drill  them  in  concert,  and  you  may 
have  them  commit  to  memory,  and  labor  in  every  other  way 
that  you  possibly  can  to  accomplish  the  good  that  you  desire 
with  your  children,  but  in  nothing,  in  my  opinion,  can  you 
succeed  so  well  as  when  you  possess  their  undivided  love 
and  confidence.  If  a  child  thinks  a  teacher  is  harsh  with 
him  or  her,  or  unkind  toward  him,  or  does  not  feel  a  real, 
genuine  love  for  him,  if  he  feels  that  the  teacher  is  not  taking 
a  real  interest  in  him  as  one  who  loves  him,  he  can  never  be 
led  to  possess  the  right  spirit ;  but  when  he  feels  that  the 
teacher  loves  him,  is  trying  to  do  him  good  and  to  teach  him 
that  which  will  be  for  his  everlasting  welfare,  then  you  have 
an  influence  over  that  child,  that  when  he  studies  he  will 


AUXILIARY   ORGANIZATIONS  487 

study  with  a  purpose  and  with  an  earnest  desire  to  be 
benefited  and  to  please  the  teacher;  because  he  knows  and 
feels  in  his  little  heart  that  the  teacher  loves  him  and  is  seek- 
ing to  do  him  good.  I  have  entertained  this  sentiment  from 
the  beginning,  in  relation  to  the  instruction  of  the  little 
children.  It  is  a  principle  that  obtains  at  the  home  as  well 
as  in  the  Sunday  School.  If  you  can  only  convince  your 
children  that  you  love  them,  that  your  soul  goes  out  to  them 
for  their  good,  that  you  are  their  truest  friend,  they,  in  turn, 
will  place  confidence  in  you  and  will  love  you  and  seek  to  do 
your  bidding  and  to  carry  out  your  wishes  with  your  love. 
But  if  you  are  selfish,  unkindly  to  them,  and  if  they  are  not 
confident  that  they  have  your  entire  affection,  they  will  be 
selfish,  and  will  not  care  whether  they  please  you  or  carry  out 
your  wishes  or  not,  and  the  result  will  be  that  they  will 
grow  wayward,  thoughtless  and  careless,  and  although  you 
may  drill  them,  like  a  parrot,  to  repeat  verses  and  to  speak  in 
concert,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  they  will  do  it  mechani- 
cally, without  affection,  and  without  its  having  that  effect 
upon  their  souls  that  you  desire  it  should  have. — Apr.  C.  R., 
1902,  pp.  97-98. 

THE  STAKE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  BOARD.  As  the  General 
Sunday  School  Union  Board  represents  the  First  Presidency 
of  the  Church  and  constitutes  under  the  direction  of  the 
Presidency  and  Council  of  the  Twelve,  the  highest  author- 
ity in  the  Church  on  Sunday  School  matters,  so  the  Stake 
Board,  under  the  direction  of  the  Stake  Presidency  and 
General  Sunday  School  Board,  represents  the  highest  author- 
ity in  Sunday  School  work  in  the  stake.  If  it  were  not  so, 
there  would  be  no  unity. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  43,  Aug- 
ust, 1908,  p.  310. 

THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  M.  I.  A.  WORK.  I  want  to  say 
a  few  words  to  the  Mutual  Improvement  Associations.  You 
young  men  and  young  women,  officers  of  the  Mutual  Im- 
provement Associations,  I  implore  you  to  go  from  this  con- 


488  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

ference  and  do  your  duty.  Look  after  the  wayward,  the 
disobedient,  the  thoughtless,  and  the  indifferent.  It  is  nec- 
essary that  they  should  be  guarded  and  looked  after.  As 
it  has  been  expressed  here  time  and  again,  it  is  better  for  us 
to  save  our  own  boys  who  are  being  misled  at  home,  than 
it  is  for  us  to  go  out  into  the  world  and  spend  years  of 
time  and  endless  means  in  order  to  gather  in  a  few  people 
from  the  world,  while  some  of  our  own  boys  and  girls  need 
redemption  as  much  as  they,  besides  these  people  of  the 
world  are  so  full  of  the  traditions  and  superstitions  of  their 
fathers  when  they  gather  to  Zion  that  it  is  difficult,  if  not 
impossible,  for  them  to  entirely  overcome  these  traditions  and 
get  down  to  a  full  comprehension  of  the  gospel  and  a  com- 
plete reception  of  the  truth.  Yet  a  soul  saved  out  in  the 
world  is  as  precious  in  the  sight  of  God  as  a  soul  saved  at 
home.  But  we  have  work  to  do  right  at  home,  at  our  own 
doors ;  and  it  will  not  do  for  us  to  neglect  the  work  neces- 
sary to  be  done  at  our  own  thresholds,  and  then  go  out  into 
the  world  to  do  work  that  is  no  more  necessary.  Let  us  do 
our  duty  everywhere.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1902,  p.  87. 

THE  FIELD  OF  THE  YOUNG  MEN'S  MUTUAL  IMPROVE- 
MKXT  ASSOCIATIONS.  The  systematic  work  now  being  done 
by  the  quorums  of  priesthood  provides  our  young  men  with 
the  necessary  teachings  in  formal  theology  and  trains  them 
in  the  duties  that  pertain  to  their  callings  in  the  priesthood. 

There  is,  however,  a  strong  need  among  the  young  men 
of  the  Church  to  have  an  organization  and  meetings  which 
they  themselves  conduct;  in  which  they  may  learn  to  pre- 
side over  public  assemblies ;  to  obtain  a  practice  necessary 
to  express  themselves  before  the  public;  and  to  enjoy  them- 
selves in  studying  and  practicing  civil,  social,  scientific,  re- 
ligious and  educational  affairs. 

The  Young  Men's  Mutual  Improvement  Associations 
therefore  should  be  strengthened  and  their  efficiency  in- 
creased in  order  to  offset  and  counteract  the  tendency  now  so 


AUXILIARY   ORGANIZATIONS  489 

prevalent  to  establish  private  clubs,  secret  and  social  organ- 
izations, and  select  educational  societies. 

They  may  be  made  to  cover  all  these  requirements,  and  it 
will  be  a  wise  policy  to  grant  them  the  fullest  liberty,  con- 
sistent with  the  order  and  policy  of  the  Church,  in  the  selec- 
tion of  their  officers,  management  and  conduct  of  their  as- 
sociations. 

It  is  of  vital  importance  that  not  only  the  young  men  of 
our  Church,  but  also  the  regularly  constituted  stake  and  ward 
officers  thereof  shall  have  a  clear  understanding  as  to  the 
place  and  privileges  which  the  Mutual  Improvement  Asso- 
ciations hold  among  the  Latter-day  Saints,  in  order  to  pro- 
mote harmony,  union  of  purpose,  and  the  best  interests  of 
all  concerned. 

To  define  this  field  and  to  give  an  understanding  to  our 
young  people  and  all  concerned,  we  deem  it  expedient  that  a 
declaration  should  be  made  at  this  our  June  conference,  that 
there  is  as  great  opportunity  now  as  ever  before  for  these 
organizations,  and  that  increased  activity  in  other  depart- 
ments should  cause  no  abatement  of  effort  or  efficiency  in  our 
associations;  but  rather  that  renewed  effort  should  be  put 
forth  by  the  Improvement  workers,  and  that  every  facility 
should  be  afforded  them  by  stake  and  ward  authorities  to 
accomplish  their  glorious  mission  among  the  youth  of  Zion. 

The  field  to  be  occupied  is  religious,  social  and  educa- 
tional. The  religious  work  is  not  to  be  formally  theological 
in  its  nature,  but  rather  to  be  confined  to  the  limits  outlined 
by  President  Brigham  Young,  when  the  organizations  were 
first  established:  "Let  the  keynote  of  your  work  be  the  es- 
tablishment in  the  youth  of  an  individual  testimony  of  the 
truth  and  magnitude  of  the  great  Latter-day  work;  and  the 
development  of  the  gifts  within  them."  In  other  words,  to 
obtain  a  testimony  of  the  truth  and  to  learn  to  declare  and 
express  that  testimony ;  and  to  develop  all  noble  gifts  within 
them. 


490  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

The  social  includes  control  of  various  public  and  private 
amusements ;  musical,  dramatic  and  other  entertainments  and 
festivals ;  field  sports,  athletic  tournaments,  excursions  and 
other  varieties  of  social  gatherings. 

The  educational  should  include  regular  class  work  in 
ethics  and  practical  religion,  literature,  science,  history,  bi- 
ography, art,  music,  civil  government — supplemented  by  de- 
bates, oratorical  and  musical  contests,  lectures,  essays,  writing 
for  publication,  reading  and  speaking  under  the  auspices  of 
the  organization,  and  if  necessary  carried  on  in  departments 
under  instructors  capable  of  specializing  in  their  particular 
lines. 

\Ye  have  directed  the  General  Board  to  appoint  commit- 
tees to  have  in  charge,  under  the  direction  of  the  whole 
Board,  these  various  lines,  who  have  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  work,  and  who  are  in  sympathy  with  our  young  men. 

These  committees  may  be  sub-divided  or  added  to  as  the 
wisdom  of  the  Board  or  the  exigencies  of  the  work  may  de- 
mand ;  and  like  organizations  may  be  instituted  in  the  various 
stakes  and  wards,  as  far  as  practicable  or  necessary.  At  the 
meetings  of  the  Board  reports  from  these  committees  will  be 
asked  for  and  given  as  a  regular  order  of  business. 

We  believe  that  this  course  will  promote  the  welfare  of 
all  and  a  good  feeling  among  our  young  people,  and  prevent 
their  seeking  other  organizations  and  interests  to  which  to 
devote  their  time  and  attention. 

There  is  no  mental,  social  or  physical  excellence  or  en- 
joyment that  the  Church  does  not  foster  and  desire  to  pro- 
mote among  the  young  men  of  our  community,  and  its  pur- 
pose in  sustaining  the  Mutual  Improvement  Associations  and 
charging  them  with  the  care  of  our  young  men  is  to  answer 
every  desire  of  this  nature  and  to  provide  among  ourselves 
the  gratification  of  every  legitimate  ambition  and  impulse  to 
excel  in  these  fields  without  having  to  seek  opportunities 
elsewhere. 


AUXILIARY   ORGANIZATIONS  491 

From  the  presiding  priesthood  of  the  Church  in  the 
stakes  of  Zion,  and  in  the  wards  and  missions,  we  therefore 
ask,  in  behalf  of  our  young  men,  sympathy  and  support,  to 
sustain  and  uphold  the  Young  Men's  Mutual  Improvement 
Associations  in  the  field  of  usefulness  herein  briefly  outlined, 
and  to  provide  them  with  places  of  meeting  and-  amusement. 

We  ask  that  the  associations  be  permitted  to  select  men 
of  education  and  ability  for  class  and  special  teachers,  who 
are  suitable,  agreeable  and  capable,  and  who  are  in  love  with 
the  young  people  and  in  full  sympathy  with  them  and  their 
views. 

Granting  them  the  fullest  liberty  consistent  with  the  or- 
der and  policy  of  the  Church  will  encourage  them  in  the 
faith,  and  they  will  be  not  a  whit  less  amenable  to  the  Church 
authorities,  but  rather  will  grow  more  enthusiastic  in  every 
way  for  the  promotion  of  the  work  of  the  Lord.  The  Young 
Men's  Mutual  Improvement  Associations  have  been  from  the 
first  in  very  deed  helps  to  the  priesthood,  and  in  behalf  of  its 
members  we  pledge  ourselves  and  them  to  continue  in  this 
line  in  the  future;  being  certain  that  no  trust  or  added  re- 
sponsibility imposed  upon  our  young  people  will  be  violated, 
but  they  will  prove  loyal  to  the  authorities  and  the  work  of 
the  Lord. 

Respectfully, 

JOSEPH  F.  SMITH, 
HEBER  J.  GRANT, 
B.  H.  ROBERTS, 

General  Superintendency. 

The  foregoing  Declaration  of  the  Place  and  Privileges 
of  the  Young  Men's  Mutual  Improvement  Association  was 
read  and  adopted  at  the  Annual  Conference,  June  5,  1909. — 
Improvement  Era,  Vol.  12,  August,  1909,  p.  819. 

PURPOSE  OF  MUTUAL  IMPROVEMENT  ASSOCIATIONS.  Our 
work  is  in  one  sense  primary  work,  and  yet  it  reaches  beyond 


492  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

primary  grades.  The  firsthand  great  object  of  the  organization 
of  the  Mutual  Improvement  Associations  as  auxiliary  organi- 
zations of  the  priesthood  in  the  Church  was  to  become  in- 
strumental in  bringing  the  youth  of  Zion  to  a  knowledge  of 
the  truth,  and  in  guiding  them  into  the  straight  and  narrow 
path.  We  have  found  that  there  is  in  some  degree  a  feeling 
of  shyness  and  of  fear  that  seizes  the  minds  of  some  of  our 
youth  when  the  organizations  of  the  Priesthood  are  men- 
tioned. Some  of  the  children  grow  up  more  or  less  indiffer- 
ent, more  or  less  afraid  of  the  responsibilities  involved  in 
the  performances  of  the  Church  duties.  They  are  like  colts 
that  need  training,  and  it  is  difficult  sometimes  to  reach  them. 
But  through  these  auxiliary  organizations  we  have  been  able 
to  reach  out  a  guiding  hand,  and  to  exert  an  influence  for 
good  over  many  of  our  young  men  and  women,  whom  it 
would  have  been  difficult  to  reach  by  the  organizations  of  the 
priesthood.  In  so  far  these  organizations  have  accomplished 
a  most  excellent  primary  work ;  for  this  is  in  the  sense  of  a 
primary  work,  and  I  do  not  kn.ow  but  the  necessity  of  our 
organizations  will  continue  as  long  as  we  have  children  grow- 
ing up  amongst  us  who  are  shy  of  the  priesthood,  and  who 
are  afraid  of  assuming  the  duties  and  responsibilities  that 
belong  to  the  Church. 

Then  we  have  instituted  class  work,  have  written  man- 
uals, and  have  given  out  subjects  for  study  and  improvement 
by  all  those  who  are  connected  with  these  organizations 
which  have  been  intended  to  lead  them  along  into  greater 
experiences  and  better  understanding  of  the  principles  of  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  For,  after  all,  this  is  the  great  and 
grand  object  of  these  organizations. 

The  fact  is,  my  brethren  and  sisters  and  friends,  that  the 
gospel  of  Christ  is  the  biggest  thing  in  the  world.  Very  few 
of  us,  probably,  comprehend  its  greatness.  The  way  we  are 
situated  in  life,  engaged  day  in  and  day  out,  week  in  and 
week  out,  year  in  and  year  out,  in  the  daily  vocations  of  life ; 


AUXILIARY   ORGANIZATIONS  493 

struggling  to  earn  bread  for  our  necessities,  and  the  necessi- 
ties of  those  who  are  dependent  upon  us,  struggling  to  build 
homes  for  ourselves  and  our  children ;  struggling  to  collect 
the  elements  of  the  earth  and  subdue  them,  and  to  bring 
them  into  subjection  to  our  will;  working,  toiling,  striving 
day  by  day  in  temporal  things,  in  the  cares  and  thoughts  of 
the  world,  we  are  inclined  to  give  very  little  thought,  very 
little  reflection  to  the  more  important  things,  those  things 
which  shall  endure  after  mortality  shall  come  to  an  end.  And 
the  most  of  mankind  have  come  to  the  conclusion,  judging 
them  by  their  acts,  and  their  walk  and  conversation  in  life 
that  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world  is  to  obtain  wealth.  And 
then,  having  obtained  wealth  and  the  hings  that  wealth  pro- 
duce, or  will  bring  to  them,  they  feel  that  the  rest  of  life  and 
the  responsibilities  of  it  are  very  trifling  and  unimportant, 
and  they  leave  their  religion  to  their  priests,  if  they  have  any 
religion  at  all.  And  the  great  majority  of  the  world  today,  I 
believe,  that  is,  on  our  hemisphere,  are  becoming  very  indif- 
ferent toward  religion  of  any  kind.  The  cheaper  it  can  be 
found  or  obtained  by  them  the  better  they  like  it;  the  less 
exertion  required  of  them  to  be  members  of  a  church  organ- 
ization the  better  it  suits  them.  The  less  care  they  are  required 
to  give  to  religion  the  better  they  like  it ;  and  if  they  can  find 
something  that  will  bring  solace  and  ease  and  relaxation  to 
an  overburdened  conscience  for  having  committed  crime  in 
the  thought  that  men  possess  power  to  forgive  sin,  that  suits 
them  about  as  well  as  anything  else,  and  a  little  better.  Hence 
we  can  see  where  the  world  is  drifting  today  as  far  as  re- 
ligion is  concerned.  If  they  can  get  it  cheap,  if  it  does  not 
cause  them  any  exertion,  they  do  not  mind  having  just  a  lit- 
tle of  it.  But  this  is  not  the  case  with  Lutter-day  Saints. 
Nor  is  it  the  case  with  a  living  religion.  For  I  want  to  tell 
you  that  the  religion  of  Christ  is  not  a  Sunday  religion ;  it 
is  not  a  momentary  religion ;  it  is  a  religion  that  never  ends ; 
and  it  requires  duties  of  its  devotees  on  Monday,  Tuesday, 


494  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

Wednesday  and  all  the  days  of  the  week  just  as  sincerely, 
just  as  strongly,  as  it  does  on  the  Sabbath  day.  And  I  would 
not  give  the  ashes  of  a  rye  straw  for  a  Sunday  religion,  or 
for  a  religion  that  is  manufactured  by  men,  whether  by 
priests  or  laymen.  My  religion  is  the  religion  of  God.  It  is 
the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  otherwise  it  would  be  absolutely 
worthless  to  me,  and  it  would  be  worthless  to  all  other  men, 
so  far  as  religion  is  concerned.  If  it  is  not  in  my  soul,  if  I 
had  not  received  it  in  my  heart,  or  if  I  did  not  believe  it  with 
all  my  might,  mind  and  strength,  and  be  it,  live  it,  and  keep 
it  secure  in  my  heart  all  the  days  of  my  life — week  days  as 
well  as  days  of  rest,  in  secret  as  well  as  in  public,  at  home  and 
abroad,  everywhere  the  same ;  then  the  religion  of  Christ,  the 
religion  of  well  doing,  the  religion  of  righteousness,  the  re- 
ligion of  purity,  the  religion  of  kindliness,  faith,  salvation 
from  temporal  sins,  and  salvation  and  exaltation  in  the  King- 
dom of  our  God — my  religion  would  not  be  the  gospel  of  the 
Son  of  God  to  me.  This  is  "Mormonism ;"  and  that  is  the 
kind  of  religion  we  want  to  teach  to  our  children.  We  must 
receive  it  ourselves  and  teach  it  from  our  hearts  to  their 
hearts  and  from  our  affections  to  their  affections,  and  we 
can  then  inspire  them  because  of  our  own  faith  and  our  own 
faithfulness  and  convictions  of  the  Church. 

These  organizations  of  young  men  and  women  are  in- 
tended to  help  the  wayward,  giddy  and  wild ;  to  work  with 
those  who  are  at  large  in  the  world,  who  are  not  subject  to 
any  organization  at  all ;  to  gather  them  in  ;  hunt  them  up,  and 
get  hold  of  them  by  love,  by  kindness,  by  the  spirit  of  salva- 
tion, the  spirit  to  bring  them  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth, 
that  they  may  find  the  way  of  life  and  walk  in  it ;  that  they 
may  have  light  everlasting  within  themselves  through  the 
Spirit  of  God. 

All  truth  cometh  from  the  Lord.  He  is  the  fountain  of 
truth ;  or  in  other  words,  he  is  the  everlasting  spring  of  life 
and  truth,  and  from  him  cometh  all  knowledge,  all  wisdom, 


AUXILIARY   ORGANIZATIONS  495 

all  virtue  and  all  power.  When  I  read  books  that  are  scat- 
tered broadcast  through  the  world,  throwing  discredit  upon 
words  and  teachings  and  doctrines  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
saying  that  some  of  the  ideas  Jesus  uttered,  truths  that  he 
promulgated,  have  been  enunciated  before  by  the  ancient 
philosophers  among  the  heathen  nations  of  the  world,  I  want 
to  tell  you  that  there  is  not  a  heathen  philosopher  that  ever 
lived  in  all  the  world  from  the  beginning,  that  had  a  truth 
or  enunciated  a  principle  of  God's  truth  that  did  not  receive 
it  from  the  fountain  head,  from  God  himself.  God  knew  the 
truth  before  any  heathen  philosopher.  No  man  has  received 
intelligence  but  has  had  to  come  to  the  Fountain  Head.  He 
may  not  have  known  it,  may  not  have  realized  the  source  of 
his  knowledge,  but  it  came  from  God.  God  taught  the  first 
truth  that  was  ever  taught  to  man.  The  Lord  has  bestowed 
his  truth  upon  the  earth  from  generation  to  generation  and 
he  has  visited  the  people  in  various  ways,  from  age  to  age, 
according  to  the  nearness  with  which  he  could  draw  them  to 
himself.  He  has  raised  up  philosophers  among  them,  teach- 
ers of  men,  to  set  the  example,  and  to  develop  the  mind  and 
understanding  of  the  human  race  in  all  nations  of  the  world. 
God  did  it,  but  the  world  do  not  give  credit  to  God,  but  give 
it  to  men,  to  heathen  philosophers.  They  give  credit  to  them. 
I  give  it  to  God.  And  I  tell  you  God  knew  the  truth  before 
they  did,  and  through  revelation  they  got  it.  If  they  received 
light  at  all  they  had  it  from  God,  just  as  Columbus  got  it 
from  the  Lord.  What  inspired  Columbus  with  the  spirit  of 
unrest,  the  spirit  of  longing,  with  an  intense  desire  that  he 
could  not  overcome  to  seek  out  this  western  hemisphere  ? 
Brethren  and  sisters,  I  acknowledge  God's  hand  in  it.  It  was 
inspiration  that  seized  Columbus  and  he  was  moved  by  it.  But 
men  do  not  acknowledge  God's  hand  in  it.  In  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  we  learn  it  was  God's  Spirit  working  upon  him. 
The  Lord  moved  upon  Columbus  and  he  could  not  restrain 
the  influence  that  was  upon  him  until  he  had  accomplished 


496  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

the  work.  The  same  may  be  said  of  any  intelligent  man  that 
has  enlightened  humanity,  from  the  earliest  ages  down  to  the 
present  time. 

Let  me  say  to  you,  my  fellow  workers  in  the  cause  of 
Zion,  do  not  forget  to  acknowledge  the  hand  of  God  in  all 
things.  He  told  the  Jews  that  he  had  other  sheep  that  were 
not  of  that  fold,  and  that  he  must  visit  them.  He  did  visit 
them.  He  came  to  the  sheep  of  the  fold  occupying  this  con- 
tinent, dwelling  here  unknown  to  the  Jews,  and  he  revealed 
the  principles  of  the  gospel  to  them.  And  when  he  visited 
them,  he  said,  "Ye  are  they  of  whom  I  said,  Other  sheep  I 
have  which  are  not  of  this  fold ;  them  also  I  must  bring,  and 
they  shall  hear  my  voice;  and  there  shall  be  one  fold,  and 
one  shepherd."  (Ill  Nephi  15:21.) 

Read  in  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants  of  a  parable  in 
which  the  kingdom  of  God  is  likened  unto  a  man  with  twelve 
servants  working  in  his  field,  each  having  his  portion,  calling 
and  allotment.  The  Lord  visited  the  first  and  taught  him  the 
truth  and  cheered  him  up  by  his  presence  and  voice  and 
counsel ;  then  he  visited  the  second,  then  the  third  and  so 
on  until  the  twelfth,  each  in  his  time,  each  in  his  season, 
each  according  to  his  necessities.  (Doc.  and  Cov.  88:  51-63.) 

And  so  it  has  been  with  God  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world.  He  has  visited  all  nations,  kindred,  tongues,  and 
people,  and  yet  the  truth  has  not  been  revealed  to  the  world 
in  its  fulness,  and  men  have  not  been  called  to  do  the  work 
that  Christ  was  called  to  do ;  nor  the  work  that  Abraham 
was  called  to  do ;  nor  that  which  Noah  was  appointed  to  do ; 
nor  that  appointed  to  the  twelve  apostles  to  preach  his  name 
and  proclaim  his  gospel  to  the  world.  They  were  called  like 
Columbus  to  do  work  God  required  them  to  do.  Later  God 
revealed  the  power  of  steam  to  Watt,  just  as  he  has  inspired 
every  other  philosopher  and  scientist  and  great  man  of  the 
world.  I  acknowledge  the  hand  of  God  in  it.  I  give  God 
the  honor,  the  glory;  and  I  know  that  it  is  in  accordance 


AUXILIARY   ORGANIZATIONS  497 

with  his  purpose  that  he  has  inspired  these  things  to  be 
brought  to  pass.  I  believe  that  Mohammed  was  an  inspired 
man  and  the  Lord  raised  him  up  to  do  the  work  he  did. 

I  believe  God  raised  up  Joseph  Smith  to  lay  the  founda- 
tions of  the  gospel  of  Christ  in  the  dispensation  of  the  ful- 
ness of  times ;  that  it  will  remain  and  no  more  be  broken 
up;  but  will  continue  until  God's  promises  are  accomplished 
in  the  world  and  Christ  shall  come  and  reign,  whose  right 
it  is  to  reign  in  the  midst  of  the  earth.  This  is  what  I  believe 
about  it,  and  the  Lord's  hand  was  in  the  raising  up  of  Jo- 
seph Smith  to  accomplish  the  work. 

Joseph  Smith  was  called  to  do  this  work ;  and  he  did  it. 
He  has  been  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  God  by  giving 
each  of  us  the  power  to  obtain  knowledge  for  ourselves 
through  the  mercy  and  love  of  God,  and  to  become  teachers 
of  it  to  the  world;  teachers  not  only  to  our  children,  but  to 
nations  that  are  in  darkness  and  know  not  the  truth.  And  it 
is  a  living,  daily  religion,  an  hourly  religion.  It  requires  us 
to  do  right  today,  this  hour,  this  week,  this  month  and  this 
year ;  and  so  on  from  year  to  year,  to  live  our  religion — which 
is  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ — of  righteousness,  of  truth,  of 
mercy,  of  love,  forgiveness,  kindness,  union,  and  peace  on 
earth  and  good  will  to  man  and  all  the  world.  This  is  our 
mission. 

May  the  Lord  bless  you  my  brethren  and  sisters,  and 
my  fellow  workers  in  the  cause  of  Zion,  is  my  prayer. — 
Young  Woman's  Journal,  Vol.  18,  1907,  pp.  312-315. 

THE  FOUNTAIN  OF  TRUTH.  We  hear  frequently  of  men 
who  throw  discredit  on  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Savior  and  Redeemer,  because  some  of  the  principles,  doc- 
trines, and  philosophy  which  he  taught  are  said  to  have  been 
spoken  before  his  day  by  heathen  philosophers. 

A  variety  of  examples  are  sometimes  quoted  to  show 
that  Zoroaster  and  other  ancient  philosophers  made  known 
truths,  and  that  the  Old  Testament,  the  Avesta,  and  other 

33 


498  GOSPEL  DOCTRlMi 

writings,  contain  sentiments,  which  were  repeated,  perhaps 
in  slightly  different  form,  by  the  Son  of  God.  He  taught 
nothing  new,  they  say,  and  so  they  incline  to  belittle  his  mis- 
sion, and  accuse  him  of  plagiarizing  the  truth. 

It  is  conceded  by  a  number  of  competent  students  that 
the  ideals  which  have  grown  from  the  doctrines  of  Christ 
are  a  direct  development  of  what  is  found  in  the  teachings  of 
the  Old  Testament,  particularly  in  the  Psalms  and  in  the 
second  part  of  Isaiah.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  just  as 
certain  that  these  ideals  receive  a  finish  and  an  enrichment, 
by  the  touch  of  the  Savior,  vastly  beyond  vmd  above  what 
they  possessed  before,  and  also  they  are  placed  on  deeper  and 
firmer  foundations.  This,  let  it  be  said  to  begin  with,  is  be- 
cause they  were  his  before  they  were  ever  uttered  by  man. 

Even  in  the  five  distinctive  and  characteristic  topics  gen- 
erally considered  by  commentators  original  in  the  teachings 
of  Jesus,  we  find  little  if  anything  new,  except  the  enlarge- 
ment. These  are  named  as,  the  Fatherhood  of  God ;  sub- 
jects or  members  of  the  Kingdom;  the  Messiah;  the  Holy 
Ghost ;  and  the  Tri-Unity  of  God. 

But  the  idea  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God  was  .not  un- 
known either  to  the  Pagans  or  to  Israel.  Zeus  from  the 
time  of  Homer  had  borne  the  name  "Father  of  gods  and 
men."  But.  both  in  Jewish  and  Pagan  literature,  the  idea 
was  superficial  and  meant  little  more  than  "originator" 
(Gen.  1 :26)  ;  and  in  the  old  Jewish  scripture  God  is  more 
particularly  called  the  Father  of  his  people,  Israel  (Deut. 
14 :1  ;  Isaiah  63  :6).  But  in  the  teachings  of  Christ  there  is  a 
fuller  embodiment  of  revelation  in  the  word  Father,  and  the 
application  which  he  makes  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God  in- 
vests his  life  with  supreme  tenderness  and  beauty.  As  an 
example :  In  the  old  scriptures,  we  are  told,  "Like  as  a 
father  pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear 
him;"  (Psalm  103:13,)  but  by  the  interpretation  of  Jesus, 
the  love  of  God  as  Father  extends  beyond  these  limitations 


AUXILIARY   ORGANIZATIONS  499 

even  to  those  who  are  unthankful  and  evil :  "But  I  say  unto 
you,  love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good 
to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  which  dispitefully 
use  you,  and  persecute  you ;  that  ye  may  be  the  children  of 
our  Father  which  is  in  heaven :  for  he  maketh  his  sun  to  rise 
on  the  evil  and'  on  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and 
the  unjust"  (Matt.  5:45).  "But  love  ye  your  enemies,  nd 
do  good,  and  lend,  hoping  for  nothing  again ;  and  your  re- 
ward shall  be  great,  and  ye  shall  be  the  children  of  the 
Highest ;  for  he  is  kind  unto  the  unthankful  and  to  the  evil." 
(Luke  6:35.)  . 

And  so  with  other  doctrines  of  Christ;  while  perhaps 
not  new,  they  were  enriched  by  the  addition  of  fuller,  broad- 
er, more  loving  conceptions  of  God  and  his  purposes ;  in 
which  compulsion  was  eliminated,  and  lowly  service,  love, 
and  self-acrifice  were  substituted  and  made  the  true  forces 
of  an  acceptable  life.  Even  the  answer  to  the  lawyer's  ques- 
tion, often  called  the  eleventh  commandment,  "Master, 
which  is  the  great  commandment  in  the  law?"  had  been 
given  to  the  children  of  Israel,  (Lev.  19:18)  over  two  thou- 
sand years  before  its  perfected  meaning  was  impressed  upon 
the  learned  Pharisee.  (Matt.  22:34,  40.) 

But  what  of  all  this  ?  Are  we  therefore  to  discredit  the 
teachings  of  the  Savior?  Verily  no.  Let  it  be  remembered 
that  Christ  was  with  the  Father  from  the  beginning,  that  the 
gospel  of  truth  and  light  existed  from  the  beginning,  and  is 
from  everlasting  to  everlasting.  The  Father,  Son  and  Holy 
Ghost,  as  one  God,  are  the  fountain  of  truth.  From  this 
fountain  all  the  ancient  learned  philosophers  have  received 
their  inspiration  and  wisdom — from  it  they  have  received  all 
their  knowledge.  If  we  find  truth  in  broken  fragments 
through  the  ages,  it  may  be  set  down  as  an  incontrovertible 
fact  that  it  originated  at  the  fountain,  and  was  given  to 
philosophers,  inventors,  patriots,  reformers,  and  prophets  by 
the  inspiration  of  God.  It  came  from  him  through  his  Son 


500  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

Jesus  Christ  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  the  first  place,  and  from 
no  other  source.  It  is  eternal. 

Christ,  therefore,  being  the  fountain  of  truth,  is  no 
imitator.  He  taught  the  truth  first ;  it  was  his  before  it  was 
given  to  man.  When  he  came  to  the  earth  he  not  only  pro- 
claimed new  thought,  but  repeated  some  of  the  everlasting 
principles  which  had  been  heretofore  only  partly  understood 
and  enunciated  by  the  wisest  of  men.  And  in  so  doing  he 
enlarged  in  every  instance  upon  the  wisdom  which  they  had 
originally  received  from  him,  because  of  his  superior  abilities 
and  wisdom,  and  his  association  with  the  Father  and  the 
Holy  Ghost.  He  did  not  imitate  men.  They  made  known 
in  their  imperfect  way  what  the  inspiration  of  Jesus  Christ 
had  taught  them,  for  they  obtained  theii  enlightenment 
first  from  him.  He  taught  the  gospel  to  Adam,  and  made 
known  his  truths  to  Abraham  and  the  prophets.  He  was  the 
inspirer  of  the  ancient  philosophers,  Pagan  or  Israelite,  as 
well  as  of  the  great  characters  of  more  modern  times. 
Columbus,  in  discovery ;  Washington,  in  the  struggle  for 
freedom ;  Lincoln,  in  emancipation  and  union ;  Bacon,  in 
philosophy;  Franklin,  in  statesmanship  and  diplomacy; 
Stephenson,  in  steam ;  Watts,  in  song ;  Edison,  in  electricity ; 
and  Joseph  Smith,  in  theology  and  religion,  found  the 
source  of  their  wisdom  and  the  marvelous  truths  which  they 
advocated,  in  Jesus  Christ. 

Calvin,  Luther,  Melanchthon,  and  all  the  reformers, 
were  inspired  in  thoughts,  words,  and  actions  to  accomplish 
what  they  did  for  the  amelioration,  liberty  and  advancement 
of  the  human  race.  They  paved  the  way  for  the  more  per- 
fect gospel  of  truth  to  come.  Their  inspiration,  as  with  that 
of  the  ancients,  came  from  the  Father,  his  Son  Jesus  Christ, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  one  true  and  living  God.  This  may 
also  truthfully  be  said  concerning  the  Revolutionary  fathers 
of  this  nation,  and  all  who  have  in  the  ages  past  contributed 
to  the  progress  of  civil  and  religious  freedom.  There  is  no 


AUXILIARY   ORGANIZATIONS  501 

light  or  truth  which  did  not  come  to  them  first  from  him. 
Men  are  mere  repeaters  of  what  he  has  taught  them.  He 
has  voiced  no  thought  originating  with  man.  The  teachings 
of  Jesus  did  not  begin  with  his  incarnation ;  for,  like  truth, 
he  is  eternal.  He  not  only  inspired  the  ancients,  from  the 
beginning,  but  when  he  came  to  earth  he  reiterated  eternal, 
original  truth,  and  added  gloriously  to  the  revelations  men 
had  uttered.  When  he  returned  to  the  Father,  he  still  took, 
and  does  take,  an  interest  in  his  children  and  people,  by  re- 
vealing to  them  new  truths,  and  by  inspiring  their  actions; 
and,  as  men  grow  in  the  knowledge  of  God,  they  shall  be- 
come more  and  more  like  him  unto  the  perfect  day,  when  his 
knowledge  shall  cover  the  earth  as  the  waters  cover  the 
deep. 

It  is  folly,  therefore,  to  discredit  the  Savior  on  the 
grounds  that  he  has  uttered  nothing  new ;  for,  with  the 
Father  and  the  Spirit,  he  is  the  author  of  that  which  persists 
— the  truth — that  which  has  been,  that  which  is,  and  that 
which  will  continue  forever. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  10, 
1907,  pp.  627-30. 

PURPOSE  AND  DUTIES  OF  RELIGION  CLASSES.  The  Re- 
ligion Class  work  is  an  adjunct  to  the  Church  schools.  It  is  a 
necessary  and  most  interesting  adjunct  to  our  auxiliary  or- 
ganizations. It  was  established  to  assist  in  the  proper  train- 
ing and  education  of  our  children,  and  I  commend  it  to  the 
presiding  authorities,  throughout  the  Church,  and  bespeak 
for  it  their  kind  attention,  encouragement  and  assistance,  so 
far  as  it  lies  in  their  power.  Let  us  take  care  of  these  things, 
for  they  nurture  and  strengthen  our  children  in  the  right 
direction,  and  there  is  nothing  more  important.  It  is  extreme 
folly  for  any  people  to  send  thousands  of  missionaries  out 
into  the  world  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  nations,  and 
neglect  their  own  children  at  home.  I  think  our  very  first 
interest  should  be  to  look  after  our  children,  and  see  that  they 
have  every  advantage  necessary  to  bring  them  up  in  the  way 


502  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

they  should  go,  that  when  they  get  old  they  may  not  depart 
from  it.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1906,  p.  6. 

TEACHERS  MUST  BELIEVE  IN  JESUS  CHRIST.  Any  man 
who  will  question  the  divinity  of  the  mission  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  or  will  deny  the  so-called  miracles  of  the  scrip- 
tures, is  unfit  to  be  a  teacher  of  Latter-day  Saint  children. 
—Improvement  Era,  Vol.  21,  December,  1917,  p.  104. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Political  Government. 

THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS.  I  believe  with  all  my  soul 
in  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  in  the  law  of  God,  and  I  do 
not  think  any  honest  and  intelligent  man  or  woman  could 
help  but  believe  in  the  justice,  the  righteousness  and  the 
purity  of  the  laws  that  God  wrote  upon  the  tablets  of  stone. 
These  principles  that  I  propose  to  read  to  you  are  the  founda- 
tion and  basic  principles  of  the  Constitution  of  our  country, 
and  are  eternal,  enduring  forevermore,  and  cannot  be 
changed  nor  ignored  with  impunity : 

"And  God  spake  all  these  words,  saying,  I  am  the  Lord 
thy  God,  which  have  brought  thee  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt, 
out  of  the  house  of  bondage.  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods 
before  me." 

That  is  what  it  means  now,  and  what  it  meant  to  the 
Latter-day  Saints,  and  what  the  Latter-day  Saints  under- 
stood it  to  mean,  when  they  embraced  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

"Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  me."  He  is  the 
Father  of  our  spirits,  the  Father  of  our  Lord  and  Savior 
Jesus  Christ,  who  is  our  God;  and  we  shall  not  have  any 
other  before  him. 

"Thou  shalt  not  make  unto  thee  any  graven  image,  or 
any  likeness  of  anything  that  is  in  heaven  above,  or  that  is  in 
the  earth  beneath,  or  that  is  in  the  water  under  the  earth : 

"Thou  shalt  not  bow  down  thyself  to  them,  nor  serve 
them :  for  I  the  Lord  thy  God  am  a  jealous  God,  visiting  the 
iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon  the  children  unto  the  third  and 
fourth  generation  of  them  that  hate  me ;  and  showing  mercy 
unto  thousands  of  them  that  love  me,  and  keep  my  command- 
ments." (Exodus  20:  1-7.) 


504  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

Infidels  will  say  to  you  :  "How  unjust,  how  unmerciful, 
how  un-Godlike  it  is  to  visit  the  iniquities  of  the  parents  upon 
the  children  to  the  third  and  fourth  generations  of  them  that 
hate  God."  How  do  you  see  it  ?  This  way :  and  it  is  strictly 
in  accordance  with  God's  law.  The  infidel  will  impart  infi- 
delity to  his  children  if  he  can.  The  whoremonger  will  not 
raise  a  pure,  righteous  posterity.  He  will  impart  seeds  of 
disease  and  misery,  if  not  of  death  and  destruction,  upon  his 
offspring,  which  will  continue  upon  his  children  and  descend 
to  his  children's  children  to  the  third  and  fourth  generation. 
It  is  perfectly  natural  that  the  children  should  inherit  from 
their  fathers,  and  if  they  sow  the  seeds  of  corruption,  crime 
and  loathsome  disease,  their  children  will  reap  the  fruits 
thereof.  Not  in  accordance  with  God's,  wishes,  for  his  wish 
is  that  men  will  not  sin  and  therefore  will  not  transmit  the 
consequences  of  their  sin  to  their  children,  but  that  they 
will  keep  his  commandments,  and  be  free  from  sin  and  from 
entailing  the  effects  of  sin  upon  their  offspring ;  but  inasmuch 
as  men  will  not  hearken  unto  the  Lord,  but  will  become  a 
law  unto  themselves,  and  will  commit  sin  they  will  justly 
reap  the  consequences  of  their  own  iniquity,  and  will  nat- 
urally impart  its  fruits  to  their  children  to  the  third  and 
fourth  generation.  The  laws  of  nature  are  the  laws  of  God, 
who  is  just ;  it  is  not  God  that  inflicts  these  penalties,  they 
are  the  effects  of  disobedience,  to  his  law.  The  results  of 
men's  own  acts  follow  them. 

"Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  Gol  in 
vain;  for  the  Lord  will  not  hold  him  guiltless  that  taketh  his 
name  in  vain." 

This  is  an  eternal  principle;  it  is  not  one  that  we  may 
obey  today  and  disobey  tomorrow,  or  that  we  may  espouse 
today  as  a  part  of  our  faith,  and  abandon  tomorrow  with 
impunity.  It  is  a  principle  that  is  inherent  in  the  plan  of  life 
and  salvation,  for  the  regeneration  of  mankind. 

"Remember   the   Sabbath   day,    to   keep   it   holy.     Six 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENTS  .505 

days  shalt  thou  labor,  and  do  all  thy  work:  but  the  seve.ith 
day  is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy  God :  in  it  thou  shalt  not 
do  my  work,  thou,  nor  thy  son,  nor  thy  daughter,  thy  man- 
servant, nor  thy  maid-servant,  nor  thy  cattle,  nor  thy  strarg- 
er  that  is  within  thy  gates,"  etc. 

That  is :  Thou  shalt  honor  the  Sabbath  day  and  keep  it 
holy.  Do  we  do  it?  Is  it  necessary  to  do  it?  It  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  do  so  in  order  that  we  may  be  in  har- 
mony with  God's  law  and  commandments ;  and  whenever 
we  transgress  that  law  or  that  commandment  we  are  guilty 
of  transgressing  the  law  of  God.  And  what  will  be  the  re- 
sult, if  we  continue?  Our  children  will  follow  in  our  foot- 
steps ;  they  will  dishonor  the  command  of  God  to  keep  one 
day  holy  in  seven ;  and  will  lose  the  spirit  of  obedience  to  the 
laws  of  God  and  his  requirements,  just  as  the  father  will  lose 
it  if  he  continues  to  violate  the  commandments. 

"Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother :  that  thy  days  may 
be  long  upon  the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee." 

When  will  we  ever  outgrow  that  command  ?  When  can 
we  set  it  aside  ?  When  shall  we  reach  the  time  that  we  can 
dishonor  our  father  and  mother?  Never!  It  is  an  eternal 
principle,  and  I  am  sorry  to  say — not  sorry  for  the  Japs  and 
for  the  Chinese — these  heathen  nations,  as  we  have  been  in  the 
habit  of  calling  them — I  am  not  sorry  for  them,  but  for  the 
comparison  with  them.  Those  heathen  nations  set  the  civilized 
Christian  world  an  example  in  the  honor  they  bestow  upon 
their  parents,  and  yet  this  Christian  people  and  nation  and 
all  the  Christian  nations  of  the  earth,  who  have  the  word  of 
the  Lord,  and  the  counsels  of  the  Son  of  God  for  their  guid- 
ance, are  not  leading  out  in  setting  an  example  of  obedience, 
as  they  should,  to  this  great  commandment  of  the  Lord. 
"Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother:  that  thy  days  may  be 
long  in  the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee." 

Again,  "Thou  shalt  not  kill."  That  is  a  command  of 
God.  It  is  irrevocable,  unless  he  revokes  it ;  you  and  I  can't 


506  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

revoke  it ;  we  must  not  transgress  it ;  it  is  binding  upon  us. 
\Ye  should  not  take  away  the  life  we  cannot  restore  or  give 
back.  It  is  an  eternal,  unchangeable  law. 

'Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery."  Just  as  unchange- 
able !  just  as  eternal !  for  the  adulterer  hath  no  place  in  the 
kingdom  of  God,  fior  can  he  attain  to  an  exaltation  there. 

'Thou  shalt  not  steal." 

'Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness  against  thy  neigh- 
bor." 

'Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's  house,  thou  shalt 
not  covet  thy  neighbor's  wife,  nor  his  manservant,  nor  his 
maidservant,  nor  his  ox,  nor  his  ass,  nor  anything  that  is  thy 
neighbor's."  (Exodus  20:  8-17.) 

"Thou  shalt  not  covet."  We  may  say  we  are  thankful 
that  the  Lord  has  blessed  our  neighbor  above  that  which  he 
has  blessed  us.  We  may  be  thankful  that  the  Lord  has 
given  to  our  neighbor  greater  wisdom  and  ability  to  honestly 
gather  to  himself.  But  we  should  not  covet  it.  We  should 
not  be  envious,  because  we  are  commanded  not  to  be. 

Now,  these  are  the  commandments  of  God,  the  prin- 
ciples, contained  in  these  commandments  of  the  great  Eternal 
are  the  principles  that  underly  the  constitution  of  our  coun- 
try, and  all  just  laws.  Joseph  Smith,  the  prophet,  was  in- 
spired to  affirm  and  ratify  this  truth,  and  he  further  pre- 
dicted that  the  time  would  come,  when  the  constitution  of 
our  country  would  hang  as  it  were  by  a  thread,  and  that 
the  Latter-day  Saints,  above  all  other  people  in  the  world, 
would  come  to  the  rescue  of  that  great  and  glorious  pala- 
dium  of  our  liberty.  We  cannot  brook  the  thought  of  ir  being 
torn  into  shreds,  or  destroyed,  or  trampled  under  foot  and 
ignored  by  men.  We  cannot  tolerate  the  sentiment,  at 
one  time  expressed,  by  a  man  high  in  authority  in  the  nation. 
He  said :  "The  constitution  be  damned  ;  the  popular  sentiment 
of  the  people  is  the  constitution !"  That  is  the  sentiment  of 
anarchism,  and  has  spread  to  a  certain  extent,  and  is  spread- 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENTS  507 

ing  over  "the  land  of  liberty  and  home  of  the  brave."  \Ve 
do  not  tolerate  it.  Latter-clay  Saints  cannot  tolerate  such  a 
spirit  as  this.  It  is  anarchy.  It  means  destruction.  It  is 
the  spirit  of  mobocracy,  and  the  Lord  knows  we  have  suf- 
fered enough  from  mobocracy,  and  we  do  not  want  any  more 
of  it.  Our  people  from  Mexico  are  suffering  from  the  ef- 
fects of  that  same  spirit.  We  do  not  want  any  more  of  it, 
and  we  cannot  afford  to  yield  to  that  spirit  or  contribute  to 
it  in  the  least  degree.  We  should  stand  with  a  front  like 
flint  against  every  spirit  or  species  of  contempt  or  disrespect 
for  the  constitution  of  our  country  and  the  constitutional 
laws  of  our  land.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1912,. pp.  8-11. 

THE  LAWS  OF  GOD  AND  THE  LAWS  OF  THE  LAND.  Near- 
ly all  the  brethren  who  have  spoken  at  this  conference  have 
referred  to  the  circumstances  in  which  we,  as  a  people,  are 
now  placed ;  and  it  would  seem  unnecessary  for  me  to  make 
any  further  reference  to  this  all-prevailing  subject  with 
which 'the  people  generally  are  more  or  less  familiar,  and  in 
which  we  necessarily  are  considerably  interested.  But  while 
the  brethren  who  have  spoken  have  merely  referred  to 
some  of  the  sayings  of  the  Prophet  Joseph,  and  to  items  in 
the  revelations  through  him,  to  the  Church,  I  feel  impressed 
to  read  in  the  hearing  of  the  congregation  one  or  two  pas- 
sages from  the  revelations  previously  referred  to.  I  will, 
therefore,  call  the  attention  of  the  congregation  to  a  verse  or 
two  in  the  revelation  given  in  1831,  which  will  be  found 
on  page  219  of  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants : 

"Let  no  man  break  the  laws  of  the  land,  for  he  that 
keepeth  the  laws  of  God  hath  no  need  to  break  the  laws  of 
the  land : 

"Wherefore,  be  subject  to  the  powers  that  be,  until  he 
reigns  whose  right  it  is  to  reign,  and  subdues  all  enemies 
under  'his  feet. 

"Behold,  the  laws  which  ye  have  received  from  my 
hand  are  the  laws  of  the  Church,  and  in  this  light  we  shall 


508  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

hold  them  forth.  Behold  here  is  wisdom."  (Doc.  and  Cov. 
58:  21-23.) 

The  following  I  quote  from  a  revelation  given  in  De- 
cember, 1833,  page  357 : 

"According  to  the  laws  and  the  constitution  of  the 
people  which  I  have  suffered  to  be  established,  and  should 
be  maintained  for  the  rights  and  protection  of  all  flesh,  ac- 
cording to  just  and  holy  principles, 

"That  every  man  may  act  in  doctrine  and  principle  per- 
taining to  futurity,  according  to  the  moral  agency  which  I 
have  given  unto  them,  that  every  man  may  be  accountable 
for  his  own  sins  in  the  day  of  judgment. 

"Therefore,  it  is  not  right  that  any  man  should  be  in 
bondage  one  to  another  ; 

"And  for  this  purpose  have  I  established  the  constitution 
of  this  land,  by  the  hands  of  wise  men  whom  I  raised  up 
unto  this  very  purpose,  and  redeemed  the  land  by  the  shed- 
ding of  blood."  (Doc.  and  Cov.  101 :77-80.) 

Again,  in  a  revelation  on  page  342 : 

"And  now,  verily  I  say  unto  you  concerning  the  laws  of 
the  land,  it  is  my  will  that  my  people  shall  observe  to  do  all 
things  whatsoever  I  command  them ; 

"And  that  law  of  the  land  which  is  constitutional, 
supporting  that  principle  of  freedom  in  maintaining  rights 
and  privileges,  belongs  to  all  mankind,  and  is  justifiable  be- 
fore me ; 

"Therefore,  I,  the  Lord,  justify  you,  and  your  brethren 
of  my  Church,  in  befriending  that  law  which  is  the  con- 
stitutional law  of  the  land ; 

"And  as  pertaining  to  law  of  man,  whatsoever  is  more 
or  less  than  these  cometh  of  evil. 

"I,  the  Lord  God,  make  you  free,  therefore  ye  are  free 
indeed ;  and  the  law  also  maketh  you  free ; 

"Nevertheless,  *when  the  wicked  rule,  the  people  mourn ; 

'"Wherefore,    honest   men,    and   wise   men    should   be 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENTS  509 

sought  for  diligently,  and  good  men  and  wise  men  ye  should 
observe  to  uphold ;  otherwise  whatsoever  is  less  than  these 
cometh  of  evil. 

"And  I  give  unto  you  a  commandment,  that  ye  shall 
forsake  all  evil  and  cleave  unto  all  good,  that  ye  shall  live 
by  every  word  which  proceedeth  forth  out  of  the  mouth 
of  God; 

"For  he  will  give  unto  the  faithful  line  upon  line,  pre- 
cept upon  precept;  and  I  will  try  you  and  prove  you  here- 
with ; 

"And  whoso  layeth  down  his  life  in  my  cause,  for  my 
name's  sake,  shall  find  it  again,  even  life  eternal ; 

"Therefore  be  not  afraid  of -your  enemies,  for  I  have 
decreed  in  my  heart,  saith  the  Lord,  that  I  will  prove  you  in 
all  things,  whether  you  will  abide  in  my  covenant,  even  unto 
death,  that  you  may  be  found  worthy ; 

"For  if  ye  will  not  abide  in  my  covenant,  ye  are  not 
worthy  of  me."  (Doc.  and  Cov.  98 :  4-15.) 

This,  as  I  understand  it,  is  the  law  of  God  to  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  in  all  the 
world.  And  the  requirements  here  made  of  us  must  be 
obeyed,  and  practically  carried  out  in  our  lives,  in  order  that 
we  may  secure  the  fulfilment  of  the  promises  which  God  has 
made  to  the  people  of  Zion.  And  it  is  further  written,  that 
inasmuch  as  ye  will  do  the  things  which  I  command  you,  thus 
saith  the  Lord,  then  am  I  bound;  otherwise  there  is  no 
promise.  We  can  therefore  only  expect  that  the  promises 
are  made  and  will  apply  to  us  when  we  do  the  things  which 
we  are  commanded.  (Doc.  and  Cov.  82:  10;  101:  7;  124: 
47-49.) 

We  are  told  here  that  no  man  need  break  the  laws  of 
the  land  who  will  keep  the  laws  of  God.  But  this  is  further 
defined  by  the  passage  which  I  read  afterwards — the  law 
of  the  land,  which  all  have  no  need  to  break,  is  that  law  which 
is  the  constitutional  law  of  the  land,  and  that  is  as  God  him- 


510  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

self  has  defined  it.  And  whatsoever  is  more  or  less  than 
this  cometh  of  evil.  Now,  it  seems  to  me  that  this  makes  this 
matter  so  clear  that  it  is  not  possible  for  any  man  who  pro- 
fesses to  be  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints  to  make  any  mistake,  or  to  be  in  doubt  as 
to  the  course  he  should  pursue  under  the  command  of  God 
in  relation  to  the  observance  of  the  laws  of  the  land.  I  main- 
tain that  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
has  ever  been  faithful  to  the  constitutional  laws  of  our 
country.  I  maintain,  also,  that  I  have  a  right  to  this  opin- 
ion, as  an  American  citizen,  as  one  who  was  not  only  born 
on  American  soil,  but  who  descended  from  parents  who  for 
generations  were  born  in  America.  I  have  a  right  to  inter- 
pret the  law  in  this  manner,  and  to  form  my  own  conclusions 
and  express  my  opinions  thereon,  regardless  of  the  opinions 
of  other  men. 

I  ask  myself,  What  law  have  you  broken?  What  con- 
stitutional law  have  you  not  observed  ?  I  am  bound  not  only 
by  allegiance  to  the  government  of  the  United  States,  but  by 
the  actual  command  of  God  Almighty,  to  observe  and  obey 
every  constitutional  law  of  the  land,  and  without  hesitancy 
I  declare  to  this  congregation  that  I  have  never  violated, 
nor  transgressed  any  law,  I  am  not  amenable  to  any  penalties 
of  the  law,  because  I  have  endeavored  from  my  youth  up  to 
be  a  law-abiding  citizen,  and  not  only  so,  but  to  be  a  peace- 
maker, a  preacher  of  righteousness,  and  not  only  to  preach 
righteousness  by  word,  but  by  example.  What,  therefore, 
have  I  to  fear?  The  Lord  Almighty  requires  this  people  to 
observe  the  laws  of  the  land,  to  be  subject  to  "the  powers 
that  be,"  so  far  as  they  abide  by  the  fundamental  principles 
of  good  government,  but  he  will  hold  them  responsible  if 
they  will  pass  unconstitutional  measures  and  frame  unjust 
and  prescriptive  laws,  as  did  Nebuchadnezzar  and  Darius,  in 
relation  to  the  three  Hebrew  children  and  Daniel.  If  law- 
makers have  a  mind  to  violate  their  oath,  break  their  cove- 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENTS  511 

nants  and  their  faith  with  the  people,  and  depart  from  the 
provisions  of  the  constitution,  where  is  the  law,  human  or 
divine,  which  binds  me,  as  an  individual,  to  outwardly  and 
openly  proclaim  my  acceptance  of  their  acts? 

I  wish  to  enter  here  my  avowal  that  the  people  called 
Latter-day  Saints,  as  has  been  often  repeated  from  this  stand, 
are  the  most  law-abiding,  the  most  peaceable,  long-suffering 
and  patient  people  that  can  today  be  found  within  the  con- 
fines of  this  republic,  and  perhaps  anywhere  else  upon  the 
face  of  the  earth ;  and  we  intend  to  continue  to  be  law-abid- 
ing so  far  as  the  constitutional  law  of  the  land  is  concerned ; 
and  we  expect  to  meet  the  consequence  of  our  obedience  to 
the  laws  and  commandments  of  God,  like  men.  These  are 
my  sentiments  briefly  expressed,  upon  this  subject. 

No  NATIONALITIES  IN  THE  CHURCH.  In  speaking  of 
nationalities,  we  all  understand  or  should  that  in  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  there  is  neither  Scan- 
dinavian, nor  Swiss,  nor  German,  nor  Russian,  nor  British, 
nor  any  other  nationality.  We  have  become  brothers  in  the 
household  of  faith,  and  we  should  treat  the  people  from  these 
nations  that  are  at  war  with  each  other,  with  due  kindness 
and  consideration.  It  is  nothing  but  natural  that 'people  who 
are  born  in  a  land,  though  they  may  have  emigrated  from  it, 
who  have  left  their  kindred  there,  many  of  them,  that  they 
will  naturally  have  a  tender  feeling  toward  their  fatherland. 
But  the  Latter-day  Saints  who  have  come  from  England  and 
from  France  and  from  Germany  and  Scandinavia  and  Hol- 
land, into  this  country,  no  matter  what  their  country  may  be 
involved  in,  it  is  not  our  business  to  distinguish  them  in 
any  way  by  criticism  or  by  complaint  toward'  them,  or  by 
condemnation,  because  of  the  place  where  they  were  born, 
they  could  not  help  where  they  were  born,  and  they  have 
come  here  to  be  Latter-day  Saints,  not  to  be  Germans,  nor  to 
be  Scandinavians,  nor  to  be  English  or  French,  nor  to  be- 
long to  any  other  country  in  the  world.  They  have  come 


512  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

here  to  be  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Lat- 
ter-day Saints,  and  good  and  true  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  and  of  the  several  states  in  which  they  live,  and  of 
other  places  throughout  the  world,  where  Latter-day  Saints 
are  building  homes  for  themselves. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1917,  p.  11. 

LATTER-DAY  SAINTS  LOYAL  To  THE  UNITED  STATES. 
We  must  always  bear  in  mind  that  we  are  not  only  citizens  of 
the  kingdom  of  God,  but  we  are  citizens  of  the  United  States, 
and  of  the  States  in  which,  we  dwell.  We  have  ever  been 
loyal  both  to  our  state  and  nation,  as  well  as  to  the  Church 
of  God,  and  we  are  at  the  defiance  of  the  world  to  prove  to 
the  contrary.  We  have  been  willing  to  fight  our  country's 
battles,  to  defend  her  honor,  to  uphold  and  sustain  her 
good  name,  and  we  propose  to  continue  in  this  loyalty  to  our 
nation  and  to  our  people  unto  the  end. — Apr.  C.  R.,  1905, 
p.  46. 

LOYALTY  TO  THE  CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 
And  I  hope  with  all  my  soul  that  the  members  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  will  be  loyal  in 
their  very  hearts  and  souls,  to  the  principles  of  the  constitu- 
tion of  our  country.  From  them  we  have  derived  the  lib- 
erty that  we  enjoy.  They  have  been  the  means  of  guaran- 
teeing to  the  foreigner,  that  has  come  within  our  gates,  and 
to  the  native  born,  and  to  all  the  citizens  of  this  country,  the 
freedom  and  liberty  that  we  possess.  We  cannot  go  back 
upon  such  principles  as  these.  We  may  go  back  upon 
those  who  fail  to  execute  the  law  as  they  should.  We  may 
be  dissatisfied  with  the  decision  of  judges,  and  may  desire 
to  have  them  removed  out  of  their  places.  But  the  law  pro- 
vides ways  and  means  for  all  these  things  to  be  done  under 
the  constitution  of  our  country,  and  it  is  better  for  us  to 
abide  the  evils  that  we  have  than  to  fly  to  greater  evils  that 
we  know  not  what  the  results  will  be. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1912, 
p.  8. 

PROUD  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.     I  feel  proud  of  the 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENTS  .513 

nation  of  which  \vc  arc  a  part,  because  I  am  convinced  in 
my  own  mind  that  there  is  not  another  nation  upon  the  face 
of  the  globe  where  the  Lord  Almighty  could  have  estab- 
lished his  Church  with  so  little  difficulty  and  opposition  as 
he  has  done  here  in  the  United  States.  This  was  a  free 
country  and  religious  toleration  was  the  sentiment  of  the 
people  of  the  land.  It  was  the  asylum  for  the  oppressed.  All 
the  people  of  the  world  were  invited  here  to  make  homes  of 
freedom  for  themselves,  and  under  these  tolerant  circum- 
stances the  Lord  was  able  to  establish  his  Church,  and  has 
been  able  to  maintain  it  and  preserve  it  up  to  this  time,  that  it 
has  grown  and  spread,  until  it  has  become  respectable — 
not  only  by  its  members,  not  only  by  the  few  years  of  age  that 
it  possesses,  but  respectable  because  of  its  intelligence,  re- 
spectable because  of  its  honesty,  its  purity,  union  and  indus- 
try, and  for  all  its  virtues.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1905,  p.  6. 

ORIGIN  AND  DESTINY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  :  LOYAL- 
TY OF  THE  LATTER-DAY  SAINTS.  This  great  American  na- 
tion the  Almighty  raised  up  by  the  power  of  his  omnipotent 
hand,  that  it  might  be  possible  in  the  latter  days  for  the 
kingdom  of  God,  to  be  established  in  the  earth.  If  the 
Lord  had  not  prepared  the  way  by  laying  the  foundations 
of  this  glorious  nation,  it  would  have  been  impossible  (un- 
der the  stringent  laws  and  bigotry  of  the  monarchial  gov- 
ernments of  the  world)  to  have  laid  the  foundations  for 
the  coming  of  his  great  kingdom.  The  Loid  has  done  this. 
His  hand  has  been  over  this  nation,  and  it  is  his  purpose 
and  design  to  enlarge  it,  make  it  glorious  above  all  others, 
and  to  give  it  dominion,  and  power  over  the  earth,  to  the 
end  that  those  who  are  kept  in  bondage  and  serfdom  may 
be  brought  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  fullest  freedom  and 
liberty  of  conscience  possible  for  intelligent  men  to  exer- 
cise in  the  earth.  The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints  \vill  be  a  strong  supporter  of  the  nation  of  which 
we  are  a  part,  in  the  accomplishment  of  this  grand  purpose. 

34 


514  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

There  are  no  more  loyal  people  to  their  country  on  God's 
earth  today  than  are  the  Latter-day  Saints  to  this  country. 
There  are  no  better,  purer  or  more  honorable  citizens  of 
the  United  States  to  be  found  than  are  found  within  the 
pale  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  I 
testify  to  this,  and  I  know  whereof  I  speak.  We  never  have 
been  enemies  to  our  nation.  We  have  always  been  true  to 
it.  Though  we  have  been  persecuted,  we  have  said,  We  will 
put  our  trust  in  thee.  We  have  been  driven  and  maligned, 
not  by  the  nation,  but  by  insidious,  wicked,  unprincipled, 
hypocritical,  lying,  deceitful  goats  in  sheep's  clothing,  who 
are  jealous  and  constantly  raising  a  hue  and  cry  against 
the  covenant  people  of  God.  Our  government  would  have 
befriended  us,  protected  us,  preserved  our  rights  and  liber- 
ties, and  would  have  defended  us  in  the  enjoyment  of  our 
possessions,  if  it  had  not  been  for  these  infernal  hounds 
who  are  enemies  to  morality  and  to  the  truth.  If  there  be 
anything  despicable,  if  there  be  anything  that  can  never,  no, 
never,  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  it  is  a  wilful  liar ;  and 
if  we  have  not  been  lied  about,  maligned  and  misrepresented 
of  late,  then  I  do  not  know  what  lying  is.  Well,  let  the 
falsifiers  go  on  and  lie.  Some  people  are  evidently  doomed 
to  lie.  President  Woodruff  used  to  say  there  were  some 
people  in  his  day  who  were  born  to  lie,  and  they  were  true 
to  their  missions.  There  are  some  of  these  born  liars  still 
with  us  and  still  true  to  their  mission.  They  cannot,  it  would 
seem,  tell  the  truth ;  they  often  do  not  when  it  would  be  for 
their  best  good.  So  let  them  go  on  and  lie  as  much  as  they 
desire.  But  let  us  do  right,  keep  the  laws  of '  God,  and 
the  laws  of  man,  honor  our  membership  in  the  kingdom  of 
God,  our  citizenship  in  the  state  of  Utah,  and  our  broader 
citizenship  in  the  nation  of  which  we  are  a  part,  and  then 
God  will  sustain  and  preserve  us,  and  we  will  continue  to 
grow  as  we  have  done  from  the  beginning,  only  our  fu- 
ture growth  will  be  accelerated  and  be  far  greater  than  it 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENTS  ,515 

has  been  in  the  past.  These  slanders  and  falsehoods  that 
are  circulated  abroad  with  the  view  of  bringing  the  ire 
of  the  nation  upon  us  will,  by  and  by,  be  swept  away,  and 
because  of  these  misrepresentations  the  truth  will  be  brought 
out  clearer  and  plainer  to  the  world.  Thus  the  word  of  the 
Lord  will  be  verified,  that  they  cannot  do  anything  against, 
but  for,  the  kingdom  of  God.  This  is  the  Lord's  work ;  it  is 
not  man's ;  and  he  will  make  it  triumphant.  He  is  spreading 
it  abroad,  and  giving  it  deep  root  in  the  earth,  that  its 
branches  may  grow  and  spread,  and  its  fruit  be  seen 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land. — Apr.  C.  R., 
1903,  pp.  73-74. 

SAINTS  To  SERVE  GOD.  The  Latter-day  Saints  are 
in  the  midst  of  -these  mountains  for  the  express  purpose  of 
serving  Almighty  God.  We  have  not  come  here  to  serve 
ourselves  nor  to  serve  the  world.  We  are  here  because  we 
have  believed  in  the  gospel  that  has  been  restored  in  the 
latter  day  through  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith.  We  are  here 
because  we  believe  that  God  Almighty  has  organized  his 
Church  and  has  restored  the  fulness  of  the  gospel  and  holy 
priesthood.  We  are  here  because  we  have  received  the  tes- 
timony of  the  Spirit  of  God  that  the  course  which  we  have 
pursued  in  this  regard  is  right  and  acceptable  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord.  We  are  here  because  we  have  come  in  obedience 
to  the  command  of  the  Almighty.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1899,  p.  43. 

GUIDED  BY  GOD  TO  THE  WEST.  On  somewhat  parallel 
lines  our  people  might  go  back  in  memory  to  Ohio  and  to 
Missouri  and  to  Illinois,  and  recall  incidents  and  conditions 
that  existed  in  those  early  days  by  which  our  people  were 
harassed,  mobbed,  persecuted,  hated  and  driven  away  from 
their  possessions  in  Ohio,  Missouri  and  Illinois.  It  was 
hard  for  our  people  in  those  times,  and  under  the  conditions 
that  then  existed,  to  see  where  God  in  his  providence  de- 
signed good  for  his  people  in  permitting  these  conditions  to 
exist.  But  who  today  will  dispute  the  fact  that,  although 


516  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

we  were  compelled  to  leave  Ohio,  Missouri,  and  Illinois, 
against  our  will,  our  wishes,  our  interests  temporally,  as  was 
supposed, — it  was  for  our  ultimate  good?  Who  of  us  will 
now  contend  that  the  overruling  Providence  which  brought 
us  to  this  place  made  a  mistake?  None  of  us!  When  we 
look  back  to  it  we  see  clearly,  beyond  any  possible  doubt, 
that  the  hand  of  God  was  in  it.  And  while  it  was  necessary 
for  us  to  be  moved  from  our  footholds  on  the  soil  that  our 
fathers  had  obtained  from  the  government  of  the  United 
States,  and  from  old  settlers,  and  while  we  were  compelled 
to  do  it  against  our  supposed  interests — we  now  see  it  has 
resulted  in  the  greatest  blessing  possible  to  us  and  the 
Church. 

What  could  we  have  done  in  Ohio?  What  room  was 
there  for  growth  and  development  for  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  in  Caldwell  county,  or  in  Jack- 
son county,  or  in  Clay  county,  Missouri?  Where  was  the 
chance  for  this  Church  to  spread  abroad,  grow,  and  obtain  a 
foothold  in  the  earth,  as  we  possess  it  today,  in  the  state  of 
Illinois?  a  populous  state,  her  lands  occupied  by  older  in- 
habitants who  were  uncongenial  and  unfriendly.  They 
had  no  faith  in  our  good  intentions,  nor  in  the  divinity  of 
our  cause.  They  feared  us,  because  the  Saints  were  pro- 
gressive. The  spirit  of  growth,  development,  and  of  ad- 
vancement, characterized  the  life  and  labors  and  existence 
of  communities  of  Latter-clay  Saints,  as  it  has  with  our 
people  in  Mexico.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1912,  p.  6. 

TRUE  PATRIOTISM.  Patriotism  should  be  sought  for 
and  will  be  found  in  right  living,  not  in  high  sounding 
phrases  or  words.  True  patriotism  is  part  of  the  solemn 
obligation  that  belongs  both  to  the  nation  and  to  the  indi- 
vidual and  to  the  home.  Our  nation's  reputation  should  be 
guarded  as  sacredly  as  our  family's  good  name.  That  repu- 
tation should  be  defended  by  every  citizen,  and  our  children 
should  be  taught  to  defend  their  country's  honor  under  all 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENTS  517 

circumstances.  A  truly  patriotic  spirit  in  the  individual 
begets  a  public  interest  and  sympathy  which  should  be 
commensurate  with  our  nation's  greatness.  To  be  a  true 
citizen  of  a  great  country  takes  nothing  from,  but  adds  to, 
individual  greatness.  While  a  great  and  good  people  nec- 
essarily adds  greatness  and  goodness  to  national  life,  the 
nation's  greatness  reacts  upon  its  citizens  and  adds  honor  to 
them,  and  insures  their  welfare  and  happiness.  Loyal  citi- 
zens will  probably  be  the  last  to  complain  of  the  faults  and 
failures  of  our  national  administrators.  They  would  rather 
conceal  those  evils  which  exist,  and  try  to  persuade  them- 
selves that  they  are  only  temporary  and  may  and  will  in  time 
be  corrected.  It  is  none  the  less  a  patriotic  duty  to  guard  our 
nation  whenever  and  wherever  we  can  against  those  change- 
able and  revolutionary  tendencies  which  are  destructive  of  a 
nation's  weal  and  permanence. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  47, 
July,  1912,  pp.  388-9. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  NATIONAL  PATRIOTISM.  Our  national 
welfare  should  always  be  a  theme  deeply  rooted  in  our  minds 
and  exemplified  in  our  individual  lives,  and  the  desire  for  our 
nation's  good  should  be  stronger  than  political  party  adher- 
ence. The  nation's  welfare  means  the  welfare  of  every  one 
of  its  citizens.  To  be  a  worthy  and  a  prosperous  nation,  it 
must  possess  those  qualities  which  belong  to  individual 
virtues.  The  attitude  of  our  country  toward  other  nations 
should  always  be  honest  and  above  suspicion,  and  every 
good  citizen  should  be  jealous  of  our  nation's  reputation 
both  at  home  and  abroad.  National  patriotism  is,  therefore, 
something  more  than  mere  expression  of  willingness  to  fight, 
if  need  be. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  47,  July,  1912,  p.  389. 

THE  CHURCH  NOT  PARTISAN.  The  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  is  no  partisan  Church.  It  is  not 
a  sect.  It  is  THE  CHURCH  OF  JESUS  CHRIST  OF  LATTER-DAY 
SAINTS.  It  is  the  only  one  today  existing  in  the  world  that 
can  and  does  legitimately  bear  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  and 


518  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

his  divine  authority.  I  make  this  declaration  in  all  sim- 
plicity and  honesty  before  you  and  before  all  the  world,  bitter 
as  the  truth  may  seem  to  those  who  are  opposed  and  who 
have  no  reason  for  that  opposition.  It  is  nevertheless  true 
and  will  remain  true  until  he  who  has  a  right  to  rule  among 
the  nations  of  the  earth  and  among  the  individual  children 
of  God  throughout  the  world  shall  come  and  take  the  reins 
of  government  and  receive  the  bride  that  shall  be  prepared 
for  the  coming  of  the  Bridegroom. — Improvement  Era,  Vol. 
20,  May,  1918,  p.  639.  See  also  Gospel  Doctrine,  pp.  169-70. 

THE  CHURCH  LOYAL.  All  churches  claim  to  be  divinely 
appointed,  and  place  God  above  country,  and  any  man  who 
renders  true  homage  to  God  can  not  break  the  law,  for  he 
lives  above  it.  No  man  can  be  a  good  Latter-day  Saint  and 
not  be  true  to  the  best  interests  and  general  welfare  of  his 
country.  After  all  these  years,  it  is  folly  to  say  that  the 
Church  is  antagonistic  to  the  national  government.  The  part 
which  oun  people  took  in  the  Mexican  and  Spanish- Amer- 
ican wars  should  be  enough  to  eternally  brand  such  state- 
ments false.  The  allegiance  claimed  from  its  members  by 
the  Church  does  not  prevent  a  member  from  being  a  loyal 
citizen  of  the  Nation.  It  rather  aids  him ;  fidelity  to  the 
Church  enables  a  man  better  to  entertain  patriotic  alle- 
giance to  his  nation  and  country.  There  is  nothing  re- 
quired of  a  Latter-day  Saint  that  can  in  any  way  be  con- 
strued to  militate  against  loyalty  to  the  nation,  and  for  that 
reason  Senator  Smoot  is  under  no  obligations  to  the 
Church  that  can  come  in  conflict  with  his  fealty  to  country. 
It  is  plain  that  the  campaign  of  the  ministers  is  unjustified. 
—Improvement  Era,  Vol.  7,  March,  1904,  p.  382. 

LATTER-DAY  SAINTS  ARE  GOOD  CITIZENS.  A  good  Lat- 
ter-day Saint  is  a  good  citizen  in  every  way.  I  desire  to  say 
to  the  young  men  of  our  community:  be  exemplary  Latter- 
day  Saints,  and  let  nothing  deter  you  from  aspiring  to  the 
greatest  positions  which  our  nation  has  to  offer.  Having 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENTS  519 

secured  a  place,  let  your  virtue,  your  integrity,  your  honesty, 
your  ability,  your  religious  teachings,  implanted  in  your  hearts 
at  the  knees  of  your  devoted  "Mormon"  mothers,  "so  shine 
before  men,  that  they  may  see  your  good  works,  and  glorify 
your  Father  which  is  in  heaven." — Improvement  Era,  Vol. 
6,  April,  1903,  p.  469. 

CHURCH  NOT  RESPONSIBLE  FOR  POLITICAL  PARTIES. 
The  Church  of  Christ  is  not  responsible  for  the  actions  of 
either  of  the  political  parties,  in  any  sense,  or  form.  If  it 
were,  they  would  stop  their  quarreling  and  contending,  and 
the  bitterness  and  animosity  they  exhibit  towards  one  an- 
other would  cease.  If  we  had  anything  to  do  with  them,  we 
would  stop  their  wrangling,  and  we  would  have  peace  in 
their  ranks.  The  fact  that  they  quarrel  as  they  do  is  proof 
positive  we  have  nothing  to  do  with  them. — Apr.  C.  R., 
1899,  p.  41. 

THE  CHURCH  NOT  IN  POLITICS.  The  Church  does  not 
engage  in  politics ;  its  members  belong  to  the  political  parties 
at  their  own  pleasure — to  the  Republicans,  the  Democrats, 
or  to  no  party  at  all.  They  are  not  asked,  much  less  re- 
quired, to  vote  this  way  or  that — a  requirement  made  by 
the  Protestant  mnisters  of  their  members  against  the  Saints. 
But  they  cannot  justly  be  denied  their  rights  as  citizens,  and 
there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  be,  for,  on  the  average, 
they  are  as  loyal,  as  sober,  as  well  educated,  as  honest,  as  in- 
dustrious as  virtuous,  as  moral,  as  thrifty,  and  as  worthy  in 
every  other  respect  as  any  people  in  the  nation  or  on  the 
earth,  for  that  matter.  I  think  that  they  are  just  a  little 
better  in  these  respects  than  most  other  communities  or  indi- 
viduals. 

To  the  young  men  who  may  be  disheartened  by  false 
attacks  upon  the  Saints,  and  to  the  missionaries  in  the  world, 
who  are  driven  and  persecuted,  I  wish  to  say :  have  no  fear ; 
slacken  not  your  labors  for  the  truth ;  live  as  becometh 
Saints.  You  are  in  the  right  way,  and  the  Lord  will  not  let 


520  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

your  efforts  fail.  This  Church  stands  in  no  danger  from 
opposition  and  persecution  from  without.  There  is  more 
to  fear  in  carelessness,  sin  and  indifference,  from  within ; 
more  danger  that  the  individual  will  fail  in  doing  right  and 
in  conforming  his  life  to  the  revealed  doctrines  of  our  Lord 
and  Savior  Jesus  Christ.  If  we  do  the  right,  all  will  be  well, 
the  God  of  our  fathers  will  sustain  us,  and  every  opposition 
will  tend  only  to  the  further  spread  of  the  knowledge  of 
truth. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  6,  June,  1903,  p.  625. 

SHUN  THE  SPIRIT  OF  MOB  VIOLENCE.  Nobody  in  the 
world  deplores  more  than  do  the  Latter-day  Saints  the  prev- 
alence and  brutality  of  mob  violence.  If  mob  violence  in  this 
country  did  not  have  its  origin  in  the  drivings  and  persecu- 
tions of  the  Latter-day  Saints, it  is  certain  that  no  class  of  peo- 
ple in  this  country  have  suffered  more  and  longer  from  the 
lawlessness  of  the  mob  than  have  the  Latter-day  Saints.  For 
more  than  half  a  century  the  "Mormons"  have  been  the 
victims  of  lawless  mob  violence  against  which  very  little 
has  been  said,  for  the  chief  reason  that  the  victims  had  been 
so  long  pursued  by  hatred  and  prejudice  that  the  world 
had  been  taught  to  withdraw  all  its  sympathy  from  them. 
\Yhipping,  driving,  and  shooting  "Mormon"  elders  in  the 
South  called  forth  no  anxiety  and  little  objection  upon  the 
part  of  the  press;  and  the  "Mormon"  elder,  pure  and  up- 
right in  his  life,  has  received  less  sympathy  and  protest  in 
his  favor  than  the  negro  ravisher  who  deserved,  perhaps,  the 
punishment,  however  inexcusable  the  method  of  execut- 
ing it. 

The  Latter-day  Saints  in  Utah,  and  everywhere,  are 
earnestly  and  prayerfully  admonished  to  shun  as  a  sacred 
religious  duty  the  spirit  of  mob  violence.  It  is  better  to  be 
patient  and  endure  deprivations  of  human  rights  than 
to  violate  the  institutions  of  our  country,  and  to  substitute 
violence  for  law  and  order.  If  the  reign  of  the  mob  extends 
its  hideous  rule  over  this  country  as  rapidly  in  the  future 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENTS  .521 

as  it  has  done  in  the  past,  it  may  reach  communities  where 
the  Saints  live  before  they  are  aware  of  its  presence.  It  is 
not  only  the  duty  of  every  Latter-day  Saint,  therefore,  to 
refrain  from  the  violent  and  unlawful  conduct  of  bodies 
of  men  bent  upon  human  destruction,  but  to  exercise  his 
influence  and  power  to  restrain  others  from  imbuing  their, 
hands  in  the  blood  of  their  fellow  men. — Juvenile  Instructor, 
Vol.  38,  September,  1903,  p.  564. 

THE  DANGER  OF  MOBS.  One  of  the  greatest  menaces 
to  our  country  is  that  of  the  combination  of  men  into  irre- 
sponsible, reckless  mobs,  wild  with  prejudice,  hatred  and 
fanaticism,  led  by  men  of  ambition,  or  passion,  or  hatred. 
There  is  no  other  thing  in  the  world  that  I  can  conceive  of  so 
absolutely  obnoxious  to  God  and  good  men  as  a  combina- 
tion of  men  and  women  filled  with  the  spirit  of  mobocracy. 
Men  combining  together  to  stop  or  shut  off  the  food  sup- 
ply from  the  mouth  of  the  honest  laborer,  to  starve  the 
man  that  is  willing  to  work,  and  the  wife  and  the  children 
who  are  dependent  upon  him,  because  he  is  not  willing  to 
join  a  mob,  is  one  of  the  most  infamous  perils  and  menaces 
to  the  people  of  our  country  today.  I  do  not  care  who  they 
are,  or  what  name  they  go  by.  They  are  a  menace  to  the 
peace  of  the  world.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1911,  p.  122. 

THE  BASIS  OF  LABOR  UNIONS.  If  we  are  to  have  labor 
organizations  among  us,  and  there  is  no  good  reason  why 
our  young  men  might  not  be  so  organized,  they  should  be 
formed  on  a  sensible  basis,  and  officered  by  men  who  have 
their  families  and  all  their  interests  around  them.  The 
spirit  of  good-will  and  brotherhood,  such  as  we  have  in  the 
gospel  of  Christ,  should  characterize  their  conduct  and  or- 
ganizations. For  be  it  known,  the  religious  note  is  and 
should  remain  the  dominant  note  of  our  character  and  of  all 
our  actions. 

While  there  is  no  reason  why  workmen  should  not 
join  together  for  their  own  mutual  protection  and  benefit, 


522  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

there  is  every  reason  why  in  so  doing  they  should  regard 
the  rights  of  their  fellows,  be  jealous  of  the  protection  of 
property,  and  eliminate  from  their  methods  of  warfare,  boy- 
cots,  sympathetic  strikes,  and  the  walking  delegate. — Im- 
provement Era,  Vol.  6,  August,  1903,  p.  182. 

LABOR  UNIONS.  Labor  unions  will  find  that  the  same 
eternal  law  of  justice  applies  to  unions  that  applies  to  in- 
dividuals, that  fair  dealing  and  rational  conduct  must  be 
maintained  if  financial  misfortunes  are  averted.  Where 
there  are  Latter-day  Saints  in  unions  they  should  assume  a 
conservative  attitude  and  never  arouse  men's  prejudices  by 
inflaming  their  pasisons.  There  can  be  no  objections  to  a 
firm  and  persistent  contention  for  the  right  of  labor,  if  the 
contention  is  maintained  in  the  spirit  of  reason  and  fair- 
ness. Above  all  things,  the  Latter-day  Saints  should  hold 
sacred  the  life  and  liberty  of  their  fellow-men,  as  also  their 
rights  of  property  and  maintain  inviolate  every  right  to 
which  humanity  is  entitled. 

The  unions  are  forcing  our  people  into  an  inconsistent 
and  dangerous  attitude  when  they  compel  Latter-day 
Saints  within  the  union  to  make  war  upon  their  brethren 
who  are  without  the  union,  and  thereby  denying  the  most 
sacred  and  God-given  rights  of  one  class  of  Saints  that  an- 
other class  may  gain  some  advantage  over  a  third  person, 
their  employer.  Such  conduct  is  destructive  of  the  liberty 
which  every  man  is  entitled  to  enjoy,  and  will  lead  in  the 
end  to  the  spirit  of  contention  and  apostasy. 

It  is  not  easy  to  see  how  the  Latter-day  Saints  can 
endorse  the  methods  of  modern  labor  unions.  As  a  people 
we  have  suffered  too  much  from  irrational  class  prejudice 
and  class  hatred  to  participate  in  violent  and  unjust  agi- 
tations. No  one  denies  the  right  of  laborers  to  unite  in 
demanding  a  just  share  of  the  prosperity  of  our  country, 
provided  the  union  is  governed  by  the  same  spirit  that 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENTS  523 

should  actuate  men  who  profess  the  guidance  of  a  Christian 
conscience. 

In  the  present  status  of  capital  and  labor  there  should 
be  mutual  interests ;  .and  at  the  same  time  workmen  should 
realize  that  there  is  a  limit  to  the  pressure  which  capital  can 
endure  by  the  demands  made  upon  it.  Competition  has 
always  given  some  measure  of  relief  to  the  laborer  by  the 
demands  of  capital  for  human  service,  and  men  should  not 
therefore  abandon  themselves  to  the  supposed  power  of 
arbitrary  demands  which  labor  unions  are  now  making  in 
many  cases  upon  their  employers.  The  contention  for  the 
recognition  of  unions  is  often  a  very  indefinite  factor,  for  no 
one  seems  to  know  just  what  that  recognition  means  now,  or 
what  it  is  to  mean  in  the  future.  If  recognition  means  the 
exclusive  right  of  any  class  of  men  to  gain  a  livelihood  by 
their  work,  then  recognition  should  be  persistently  and 
forcefully  resisted. 

The  Latter-day  Saints,  whether  in  the  unions  or  out 
of  them,  know  very  well  whether  individual  or  united 
demands  are  arbitrary  and  unjust,  and  they  will  lose  noth- 
ing by  a  manly  refusal  to  violate  their  sense  of  justice.— 
Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  38  June,  1903,  p.  370. 

CAUSE  OF  WAR.  The  condition  of  the  world  today 
presents  a  spectacle  that  is  deplorable,  so  far  as  it  relates 
to  the  religious  convictions,  faith  and  power  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  earth.  Here  we  have  nations  arrayed  against 
nations,  and  yet  in  every  one  of  these  nations  are  so-called 
Christian  peoples  professing  to  worship  the  same  God, 
professing  to  possess  belief  in  the  same  divine  Redeemer, 
many  of  them  professing  to  be  teachers  of  God's  word,  and 
ministers  of  life  and  salvation  to  the  children  of  men,  and 
yet  these  nations  are  divided  one  against  the  other,  and 
each  is  praying  to  his  God  for  wrath  upon  and  victory 
over  his  enemies  and  for  his  own  preservation.  Would  it  be 
possible,  could  it  be  possible,  for  this  condition  to  exist  if 


524  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

the  people  of  the  world  possessed  really  the  true  knowledge 
of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  ?  And  if  they  really  possessed 
the  Spirit  of  the  living  God — could  this  condition  exist?  No; 
it  could  not  exist,  but  war  would  cease,  and  contention  and 
strife  would  be  at  an  end.  And  not  only  the  spirit  of  war 
would  not  exist,  but  the  spirit  of  contention  and  strife  that 
now  exists  among  the  nations  of  the  earth,  which  is  the 
primal  element  of  war,  would  cease  to  be.  We  know  that 
the  spirit  of  strife  and  contention  exists  to  an  alarming  ex- 
tent among  all  the  people  of  the  world.  Why  does  it  exist  ? 
Because  they  are  not  one  with  God,  nor  with  Christ.  They 
have  not  entered  into  the  true  fold,  and  the  result  is  they  do 
not  possess  the  spirit  of  the  true  Shepherd  sufficiently  to 
govern  and  control  their  acts  in  the  ways  of  peace  and 
righteousness.  Thus  they  contend  and  strive  one  against 
another,  and  at  last  nation  rises  up  against  nation  in  fulfil- 
ment of  the  predictions  of  the  prophets  of  God  that  war 
should  be  poured  out  upon  all  nations.  I  don't  want  you 
to  think  I  believe  that  God  has  designed  or  willed  that  war 
should  come  among  the  people  of  the  world,  that  the  nations 
of  the  world  should  be  divided  against  one  another  in  war, 
and  engaged  in  the  destruction  of  each !  God  did  not  De- 
sign or  cause  this.  It  is  deplorable  to  the  heavens  that  such 
a  condition  should  exist  among  men,  but  the  conditions  do 
exist,  and  men  precipitate  war  and  destruction  upon  them- 
selves because  of  their  wickedness,  and  that  because  they 
will  not  abide  in  God's  truth,  walk  in  his  love,  and  seek  to 
establish  and  maintain  peace  instead  of  strife  and  conten- 
tion in  the  world.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1914,  p.  8. 

ATTITUDE  TOWARDS  WAR.  We  do  not  want  war.  We 
do  not  want  to  see  our  nation  go  to  war.  We  would  like  to 
see  it  the  arbiter  of  peace  for  all  nations.  We  would  like 
to  see  the  government  of  the  United  States  true  to  the  con- 
stitution, an  instrument  inspired  by  the  spirit  of  wisdom 
from  God.  We  want  to  see  the  benignity,  the  honor,  the 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENTS  525 

glory  and  the  good  name,  and  the  mighty  influence  for  peace 
of  this  nation,  extended  abroad,  not  only  over  Hawaii  and 
the  Philippines,  but  over  the  islands  of  the  sea  east  and  vest 
of  us.  We  want  to  see  the  power,  the  influence  for  good, 
for  elevating  mankind,  and  for  the  establishment  of  right- 
eous principles  spread  out  over  these  poor,  helpless  peoples 
of  the  world,  establishing  peace,  good  will  and  intelligence 
among  them,  that  they  may  grow  to  be  equal,  if  possible, 
to  the  enlightened  nations  of  the  world. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1912, 
p.  7. 

WE  WANT  PEACE.  We  want  peace  in  the  world.  We 
want  love  and  good-will  to  exist  throughout  the  earth,  and 
among  all  the  people  of  the  world ;  but  there  never  can  come 
to  the  world  that  spirit  of  peace  and  love  that  should  exist, 
until  mankind  will  receive  God's  truth  and  God's  message 
unto  them,  and  acknowledge  his  power  and  authority  which 
is  divine,  and  never  found  in  the  wisdom  only  of  men. — Oct. 
C.  R.}  1914,  p.  7. 

WHEN  PEACE  SHALL  COME.  We  will  never  have  peace 
until  we  have  truth.  We  will  never  be  able  to  establish  peace 
on  earth  and  good  will  until  we  have  drunk  at  the  fountains 
of  righteousness  and  eternal  truth,  as  God  has  revealed  it  to 
man.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1914,  p.  129. 

PEACE  ON  EARTH,  GOOD  WILL  TO  MEN.  We  certainly 
live  in  troublesome  times ;  and,  notwithstanding  the  peace 
that  pervades  our  own  land,  we  are  not  without  our  troubles 
at  home.  There  is,  among  us  today,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  the 
germ  of  the  spirit  that  has  prompted,  very  largely,  the  con- 
ditions that  exist  in  Europe  today;  internal  unrest,  dissatis- 
faction, discontent,  internal  contention  over  political,  labor 
and  religious  matters,  and  almost  every  subject  that  affects 
society  at  this  time.  And  the  very  germ  that  has  prompted 
the  terrible  results  that  we  see  in  the  nations  of  Europe,  is 
at  work  among  us  here  today.  We  need  not  forget  it,  nor 
ignore  it,  either. 


526  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

There  is  just  one  power,  and  one  only,  that  can  prevent 
war  among  the  nations  of  the  earth,  and  that  is  true  religion 
and  undenled  before  God,  the  Father.  Nothing  else  will 
accomplish  it.  It  is  a  very  common  expression  today  that 
there  is  good  in  all  religions.  So  there  is ;  but  there  is  not 
sufficient  good  in  the  denominations  of  the  world  to  prevent 
war,  nor  to  prevent  contention,  strife,  division  and  hatred  of 
one  another. 

And,  put  all  the  good  doctrines,  in  all  the  denominations 
of  the  world,  together,  and  they  do  not  constitute  sufficient 
good  to  prevent  the  evils  that  exist  in  the  world.  Why  ?  Be- 
cause the  denominations  lack  the  essential  knowledge  of 
God's  revelation  and  truth,  and  the  enjoyment  of  that  Spirit 
which  comes  from  God  that  leadeth  unto  all  truth,  and  that 
inspires  men  to  do  good  and  not  evil,  to  love  and  not  to  hate, 
to  forgive  and  not  to  bear  malice,  to  be  kind  and  generous 
and  not  to  be  unkind  and  contracted. 

So,  I  repeat,  there  is  but  one  remedy  that  can  prevent 
men  from  going  to  war,  when  they  feel  disposed  to  do  it,  and 
that  is  the  Spirit  of  God,  which  inspires  to  love,  and  not  to 
hatred,  which  leads  unto  all  truth,  and  not  unto  error,  which 
inclines  the  children  of  God  to  pay  deference  to  him  and  to 
his  laws  and  to  esteem  them  as  above  all  other  things  in  the 
world. 

The  Lord  has  told  us  that  these  wars  would  come.  We 
have  not  been  ignorant  that  they  were  pending,  and  that 
they  were  likely  to  burst  out  upon  the  nations  of  the  earth 
at  any  time.  We  have  been  looking  for  the  fulfilment  of  the 
words  of  the  Lord  that  they  would  come.  Why?  Because 
the  Lord  wanted  it?  No  ;  not  by  any  means.  Was  it  because 
the  Lord  predestined  it,  or  designed  it,  in  any  degree?  No, 
not  at  all.  Why?  It  was  for  the  reason  that  men  did  not 
hearken  unto  the  Lord  God,  and  he  foreknew  the  results  that 
would  follow,  because  of  men,  and  because  of  the  nations  of 
the  earth ;  and  therefore  he  was  able  to  predict  what  would 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENTS  527 

befall  them,  and  come  upon  them  in  consequence  of  their 
own  acts,  and  not  because  he  has  willed  it  upon  them,  for 
they' are  but  suffering  and  reaping  the  results  of  their  own 
actions. 

Well,  my  sisters,  "peace  on  earth,  and  good  will  to 
men,"  is  our  slogan.  That  is  our  principle.  That  is  the  prin- 
ciple of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  And  while  I  think  it  is 
wrong,  wickedly  wrong,  to  force  war  upon  any  nation,  or 
upon  any  people,  I  believe  it  is  righteous  and  just  for  every 
people  to  defend  their  own  lives  and  their  own  liberties,  and 
their  own  homes,  with  the  last  drop  of  their  blood.  I  believe 
it  is  right,  and  I  believe  that  the  Lord  will  sustain  any  people 
in  defending  their  own  liberty  to  worship  God  according  to 
the  dictates  of  their  conscience,  any  people  trying  to  preserve 
their  wives  and  their  children  from  the  ravages  of  the  war. 
But  we  do  not  want  to  be  brought  into  the  necessity  of  hav- 
ing to  defend  ourselves. 

If  the  condition  of  the  world  appears  to  you  as  it  does 
to  me,  at  the  present  time,  it  seems  to  me  that  you  have  with- 
in your  hearts  and  minds  one  of  the  strongest  evidences,  that 
has  ever  been  brought  to  your  understanding,  of  the  truth  of 
the  declaration  which  God  gave  to  the  world  through  Joseph 
Smith,  that  "they  draw  near  to  me  with  their  lips,  but  their 
hearts  are  far  from  me;  they  teach  for  doctrines  the  com- 
mandments of  men:  having  a  form  of  godliness,  but  they 
deny  the  power  thereof,"  and  have  it  not.  (History  of  the 
Church,  Vol.  1,  p.  6.)  In  Germany,  at  this  time,  Protestants 
and  Catholics  are  praying  to  God  for  victory  over  their  foes. 
In  France  and  in  England  and  in  Russia  and  in  Belgium,  and 
Austria,  and  in  all  other  countries,  that  are  at  war  with  one 
another,  they  are  praying,  Protestants  and  Catholics  together, 
for  victory.  The  Allies  are  praying  for  victory,  to  the  same 
God,  supposed  to  be,  for  these  are  called  Christian  nations, 
and  they  are  members  of  the  same  churches,  worshiping  in 
the  same  forms  of  religion,  and  yet  they  are  calling  upon  God 


528  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

one  against  another,  to  defend  them  against  their  enemies, 
and  to  strengthen  their  arms  to  destroy  their  foes.  What 
does  it  prove  ?  It  proves  what  God  said.  They  have  n6t  his 
Spirit ;  they  have  not  his  power  to  guide  them.  They  are  not 
in  possession  of  his  truth ;  and,  therefore,  the  very  conditions 
that  exist  are  the  results  of  this  unbelief  in  the  truth;  and 
this  worship  of  men  and  organizations  and  powers  of  men  is 
divested  of  the  power  of  God. 

Now,  my  sisters,  I  am  speaking  from  my  point  of  view, 
and  my  point  of  view  is  that  Christ  was  divinely  appointed 
and  sent  into  the  world  to  relieve  mankind  of  sin  through 
repentance;  to  relieve  mankind  from  the  death  which  came 
upon  them  by  the  sin  of  the  first  man.  I  believe  it  with  all 
my  soul.  I  believe  that  Joseph  Smith  was  raised  up  by  Al- 
mighty God  to  renew  the  spirit,  power  and  plan  of  God's 
Church,  of  Christ's  gospel  and  holy  priesthood.  I  believe 
it  with  all  my  soul,  or  I  would  not  be  here.  I  therefore  stand 
upon  this  principle,  that  the  truth  is  in  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ,  that  the  power  of  redemption,  the  power  of  peace, 
the  power  for  good-will,  love,  charity  and  forgiveness,  and 
the  power  for  fellowship  with  God,  abides  in  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ  and  in  obedience  to  it  on  the  part  of  the  people. 
I  therefore  admit,  and  not  only  admit  but  claim,  that  there  is 
nothing  greater  on  earth,  nor  in  heaven,  than  the  truth  of 
God's  gospel  which  he  has  devised  and  restored  for  the  sal- 
vation and  the  redemption  of  the  world.  And  it  is  through 
that  that  peace  will  come  to  the  children  of  men,  and  it  will 
not  come  to  the  world  in  any  other  way.  The  nations  cannot 
possess  it  without  they  come  to  God,  from  whom  they  are  to 
receive  the  spirit  of  union  and  the  spirit  of  love.  And  those 
organizations  in  the  world,  created  with  a  view  to  combining 
men,  possess  in  them  so  many  of  the  elements  of  self-de- 
struction that  they  cannot  exist  long,  as  they  are,  and  under 
the  influences  which  hold  them  together  today.  I  can  tell 
you  that  there  is  no  combination  formed  by  men  that  will 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENTS  529 

prosper  and  continue  to  endure,  unless  it  is  based  upon  the 
principles  of  truth,  righteousness,  and  justice  toward  all. 
When  a  man  comes  to  me  and  says :  "You  must  be  my  serv- 
ant, you  must  obey  me,  or  conform  to  my  plan,  or  we  will 
starve  you  to  death,"  I  don't  care  how  many  elements  of 
goodness  there  are  in  the  organization  that  will  exclude  me 
from  a  right  to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  my 
conscience  or  that  would  prevent  me  from  laboring  in  honest 
labor  to  earn  my  bread,  it  possesses  the  elements  of  decay 
and  destruction,  and  it  cannot  last,  for  it  is  wiong,  absolutely 
wrong. 

In  the  gospel  is  the  light  of  freedom.  Men  worship  God 
according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  conscience.  We  can- 
not compel  you  to  obey  the  principles  of  the  gospel  at  all. 

That  is  the  principle  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  But 
these  man-made  organizations  will  force  you  to  do  as  they 
will  or  they  will  damn  you  and  destroy  you ;  and  therein  lies 
the  element  of  self-destruction  in  themselves,  because  they 
can  only  last  for  a  time. — Relief  Society  Magazine,  Vol.  2, 
No.  1,  1914,  p.  13. 

THE  KEY  TO  PEACE.  There  is  only  one  thing  that  can 
bring  peace  into  the  world.  It  is  the  adoption  of  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ,  rightly  understood,  obeyed  and  practiced  by 
rulers  and  people  alike.  It  is  being  preached  in  power  to  all 
nations,  kindreds,  tongues  and  peoples  of  the  world,  by  the 
Latter-day  Saints,  and  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when  its 
message  of  salvation  shall  sink  deep  into  the  hearts  of  the 
common  people,  who,  in  sincerity  and  earnestness,  when  the 
time  comes,  will  not  only  surely  register  their  judgment 
against  a  false  Christianity,  but  against  war  and  the  makers 
of  war  as  crimes  against  the  human  race.  For  years  it  has 
been  held  that  peace  comes  only  by  preparation  for  war; 
the  present  conflict  should  prove  that  peace  comes  only  by 
preparing  for  peace,  through  training  the  people  in  right- 


530  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

eousness  and  justice,  and  selecting  rulers  who  respect  the 
righteous  will  of  the  people. 

Not  long  hence  and  the  voice  of  the  people  shall  be 
obeyed,  and  the  true  gospel  of  peace  shall  dominate  the 
hearts  of  the  mighty.  It  will  then  be  impossible  for  war 
lords  to  have  power  over  the  life  and  death  of  millions  of 
men  as  they  now  have,  to  decree  the  ruin  of  commerce,  in- 
dustry, and  growing  fields,  or  to  cause  untold  mental  agony 
and  human  misery  like  plague  and  pestilence  to  prevail  over 
the  nations.  It  looks  much  as  if,  after  the  devastation  of 
wars,  as  promised  in  the  scriptures,  (and  who  shall  say  that 
it  may  not  follow  this  war?)  the  self-cons.titu.ted  monarchs 
must  give  way  to  rulers  chosen  by  the  people,  who  shall  be 
guided  by  the  doctrines  of  love  and  peace  as  taught 
in  the  gospel  of  our  Lord.  There  will  then  be  instituted  a 
new  social  order  in  which  the  welfare  of  all  shall  be  upper- 
most, and  all  shall  be  permitted  to  live  in  the  utmost  liberty 
and  happiness. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  17,  No.  11,  Septem- 
ber, 1914,  p.  1074. 

GOD  STRIVES  WITH  WARRING  NATIONS.  Would  the 
nations  of  the  earth  that  are  at  war  with  each  other  be  at  war 
as  they  are,  if  the  Spirit  of  God  Almighty  had  pervaded  their 
souls  and  moved  and  actuated  them  in  their  designs?  No; 
not  at  all.  Worldly  ambition,  pride,  and  the  love  of  power, 
determination  on  the  part  of  rulers  to  prevail  over  their 
competitors  in  the  national  games  of  life,  wickedness  at 
heart,  desire  for  power,  for  worldly  greatness,  have  led  the 
nations  of  the  earth  to  quarrel  with  one  another  and  have 
brought  them  to  war  and  self-destruction.  I  presume  there 
is  not  a  nation  in  the  world  today  that  is  «iot  tainted  with 
this  evil  more  or  less.  It  may  be  possible,  perhaps,  to  trace 
the  cause  of  the  evil,  or  the  greatest  part  of  it,  to  some  par- 
ticular nation  of  the  earth;  but  I  do  not  know.  This  I  do 
believe,  with  all  my  heart,  that  the  hand  of  God  is  striving 
with  certain  of  the  nations  of  the  earth  to  preserve  and  pro- 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENTS  531 

tect  human  liberty,  freedom  to  worship  him  according  to  the 
dictates  of  conscience,  freedom  and  the  inalienable  right  of 
men  to  organize  national  governments  in  the  earth,  to  clioose 
for  themselves  their  own  leaders ;  men  whom  they  may  select 
as  standards  of  honor,  of  virtue  and  truth,  men  of  wisdom, 
understanding  and  integrity ;  men  who  have  at  heart  the 
well-being  of  the  people  who  choose  them  to  govern,  to  enact 
and  execute  the  law  in  righteousness.  I  believe  that  the 
Lord's  hand  is  over  the  nations  of  the  world  today,  to  bring 
about  this  rule  and  this  reign  of  liberty  and  righteousness 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth.  He  has  some  hard  material 
to  work  with,  too.  He  is  working  with  men  who  never 
prayed,  men  who  have  never  known  God,  nor  Jesus  Christ 
whom  he  hath  sent  into  the  world,  and  whom  to  know  is  life 
enternal.  God  is  dealing  with  nations  of  infidels,  men  who 
fear  not  God,  and  love  not  the  truth,  men  who  have  no  re- 
spect for  virtue  or  purity  of  life.  God  is  dealing  with  men 
who  are  full  of  pride  and  ambition ;  and  he  will  find  it  diffi- 
cult, I  fear,  to  control  them  and  lead  them  directly  in  the 
course  that  he  would  have  them  pursue  to  accomplish  his 
purposes ;  but  he  is  striving  to  uplift.  God  is  striving  to 
bless,  to  benefit,  to  happify,  to  ameliorate  the  condition  of 
his  children  in  the  world,  to  give  them  freedom  from  ignor- 
ance and  a  knowledge  of  him  to  learn  of  his  ways  and  to 
walk  in  his  paths,  that  they  may  have  his  Spirit  to  be  with 
them  always,  to  lead  them  into  all  truth. — Improvement  Era, 
Vol.  20,  July,  1917,  p.  823. 

CONDUCT  OF  THE  BOYS  IN  THE  ARMY.  Therefore, 
when  our  boys  and  our  mattirer  men  are  invited  and  chosen, 
selected  and  called,  to  go  out  to  help  to  protect  and  defend 
these  principles,  we  hope  and  pray,  and  we  certainly  have 
some  reason  to  believe  that  there  will  be  some,  at  least,  from 
amidst  the  great  family  of  mankind  in  the  world,  who  will 
have  some  affinity  with  the  Spirit  of  God  and  at  least  some 
desire,  some  inclination,  to  hearken  to  the  whisperings  of  the 


532  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

still  small  voice  of  the  Spirit,  that  leadeth  to  peace  and  hap- 
piness, to  the  well-being  and  the  uplifting  of  mankind  in  the 
world  and  to  life  eternal.  When  a  Latter-day  Saint,  a  man 
born,  perhaps,  and  reared  under  the  bond  of  the  New  and 
Everlasting  Covenant  of  the  gospel,  enlists  in  the  army  of 
the  United  States,  in  the  National  Guard,  which  has  been 
recommended  here  by  President  Penrose  to  you — and  which 
I  confirm  and  emphasize,  because  I  think  the  citizens  of  the 
state  should  be  united  together,  and  the  cities  and  the  state 
should  stand  together  and  should  have  sympathy  and  fellow- 
ship for  each  other,  more  than  they  could  expect  to  derive 
from  those  of  other  states  and  places,  who  are  strangers  and 
foreigners  to  them — that  when  our  boys,  thus  born,  are 
called  into  the  army  of  the  United  States,  I  hope  and  pray 
that  they  will  carry  with  them  the  Spirit  of  God,  not  the 
spirit  of  bloodshed,  of  adultery,  of  wickedness,  but  the  spirit 
of  righteousness,  the  spirit  which  leads  to  do  good,  to  build 
up,  to  benefit  the  world,  and  not  to  destroy  and  shed  blood. 

Remember  the  passage  of  scripture  that  was  quoted 
here  by  President  Lund,  as  related  in  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
concerning  the  pure  young  men  that  abjured  war  and  the 
shedding  of  blood,  lived  pure  and  innocent,  free  from  the 
contaminating  thought  of  strife,  of  anger,  or  wickedness  in 
their  hearts ;  but  when  necessity  required,  and  they  were 
called  to  go  out  to  defend  their  lives,  and  the  lives  of  their 
fathers  and  mothers,  and  their  homes,  they  went — not  to 
destroy  but  to  defend,  not  to  shed  blood  but  rather  to  save 
the  blood  of  the  innocent  and  of  the  unoffending,  and  the 
peace-lovers  of  mankind. 

Will  those  men  who  go  out  from  Utah,  irom  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  forget  their  prayers? 
Will  they  forget  God?  Will  they  forget  the  teachings  that 
they  have  received  from  their  parents  at  home?  Will  they 
forget  the  principles  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the 
covenants  that  they  have  made  in  the  waters  of  baptism,  and 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENTS  533 

in  sacred  places  ?  Or  will  they  go  out  as  men,  in  every  sense 
—pure  men,  high-minded  men,  honest  men,  virtuous  men, 
men  of  God?  That  is  what  I  am  anxious  about. 

I  want  to  see  the  hand  of  God  made  manifest  in  the 
acts  of  the  men  that  go  out  from  the  ranks  oi  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  and  from  the  state  of  Utah,  to  help  to  defend 
the  principles  of  liberty  and  sound  government  for  the  hu- 
man family.  I  want  to  see  them  so  live  that  they  can  be  in 
communion  with  the  Lord,  in  their  camps,  and  in  their  secret 
places,  and  that  in  the  midst  of  battle  they  can  say :  "Father, 
my  life  and  my  spirit  are  in  thine  hand !" 

I  want  to  see  the  boys  that  go  away  from  here  in  this 
cause,  go  feeling  just  as  our  missionaries  do  when  sent 
out  into  the  world,  carrying  with  them  the  spirit  a  good 
mother  feels  when  she  parts  with  her  boy,  on  the  morning 
of  his  departure  for  his  mission.  She  embraces  him  with  all 
the  mother's  love  in  her  soul — ! 

I  know  how  the  mother  feels  for  her  boy  when  he  goes 
away  from  home  on  a  mission,  where  he  will  be  in  the  midst 
of  strangers,  without  friends,  trying  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
the  world.  She  says  to  him:  ''My  boy,  I  have  taught  you 
the  principles  of  the  gospel.  I  have  taught  you  to  pray  to 
God,  at  my  knees,  from  the  time  you  were  a  child  until  you 
have  reached  manhood.  I  have  taught  you  virtue.  I  have 
taught  you  honor.  I  have  taught  you  to  stand  for  the  Truth, 
and  to  honor  your  father  and  your  mother  in  the  world,  and 
by  so  doing  honor  the  fathers  and  the  mothers,  and  the 
daughters  of  all  men,  wherever  you  go.  Never  in  your  life 
think  of  defiling  any  man's  wife,  or  daughter,  any  more 
than  you  would  think  of  defiling  your  mother  or  your  sister ! 
Go  out  into  the  world  from  your  home  clean.  Keep  yourself 
pure  and  unspotted  from  the  world,  and  you  will  be  immune 
from  sin,  and  God  will  protect  you.  You  will  be  in  his 
hands.  Then,  if  anything  should  happen  that  would  cost  you 
your  life,  you  will  lay  it  down  in  the  service  of  humanity  and 


534  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

of  God.  You  would  lay  down  your  life  pure  and  undented. 
Your  spirit  would  ascend  from  that  tenement  of  clay  inhab- 
ited in  this  world,  into  the  glorious  presence  of  God,  unde- 
filed,  uncontaminated,  pure  and  clean  as  the  spirit  of  a  child 
just  born  into  the  world.  Thus  you  would  be  acceptable  to 
God,  ready  to  receive  your  crown  of  glory  and  everlasting 
reward." 

So  I  would  say,  "My  boy,  my  son,  and  your  son,  when 
you  go  out  to  face  the  disasters  that  are  now  afflicting  the 
world,  go  out  as  you  do  on  a  mission,  be  just  as  good 
and  pure  and  true  in  the  army  of  the  United  States  as  you 
are  in  the  army  of  the  elders  of  Israel  that  are  preaching  the 
gospel  of  love  and  peace  to  the  world.  Then,  if  you  un- 
avoidably fall  a  prey  to  the  bullet  of  the  enemy  you  will  go 
pure  as  you  have  lived ;  you  will  be  worthy  of  your  reward ; 
you  will  have  proved  yourself  a  hero,  and  not  only  a  hero, 
but  a  valiant  servant  of  the  living  God,  worthy  of  his  ac- 
ceptation and  of  admission  into  the  loving  presence  of  the 
Father!" 

It  is  in  such  things  as  this  that  we  can  see  the  hand  of 
God.  If  our  boys  will  only  go  out  into  the  world  this  way, 
carrying  with  them  the  spirit  of  the  gospel  and  the  behavior 
of  true  Latter-day  Saints,  no  matter  what  may  befall  them  in 
life,  they  will  endure  with  the  best.  They  will  be  able  to 
endure  as  much  as  anybody  else  can  possibly  endure  of  fa- 
tigue or  of  suffering,  if  necessary,  and  when  they  are 
brought  to  the  test  they  will  stand  it !  Because  they  have  no 
fear  of  death!  They  will  be  free  from  fear  of  the  conse- 
quences of  their  own  lives.  They  will  have  no  need  to  dread 
death,  for  they  have  done  their  work;  they  have  kept  the 
faith  ;  they  are  pure  in  heart,  and  they  are  worthy  to  see  God ! 
I  have  some  feeling  in  these  matters,  for  I  have  boys  of 
my  own,  and  I  love  my  sons.  They  have  grown  up  with  me. 
They  are  mine!  The  Lord  gave  them  to  me.  I  expect  to 
claim  them,  in  the  relationship  of  father  and  sons  that  exists 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENTS  535 

between  us,  throughout  all  eternities  that  will  come.  I  would 
rather  see  my  sons  shot  down  by  the  enemies  of  God  and 
humanity,  by  those  who  are  inimical  to  the  freedom  of  the 
children  of  men,  while  defending  the  cause  of  Righteousness 
and  Truth,  a  thousand  times  rather,  than  to  see  them  die  the 
vile  death  of  sinners  and  of  transgressors  of  the  laws  of  God. 
While  death  in  battle  might  be  instantaneous,  or  it  might 
linger,  perhaps,  to  one  whose  cause  is  just  it  would  be  honor- 
able ;  but  the  death  that  is  caused  by  the  transgressions  of  the 
laws  of  God,  by  the  poison  and  sting  of  sin,  is  to  be  dreaded 
worse,  a  thousand  times  than  to  die  sinless  in  defending  the 
cause  of  Truth. 

I  don't  want  to  see  one  of  my  boys  lose  the  faith  of  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  don't  want  to  see  one  of  them  deny 
Chist,  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  the  Savior  of  the  world.  I 
do  not  want  one  of  them  to  turn  his  back  upon  the  divine 
mission  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  whose  blood  courses  in 
their  veins.  I  would  rather  see  them  perish  in  defending  a 
cause  of  righteousness,  a  thousand  times,  while  they  are  firm 
in  the  faith,  than  I  would  see  them  live  to  deny  that  faith  and 
the  God  that  gave  them  life !  That  is  where  I  stand  with  ref- 
erence to  the  matters  that  are  facing  us  at  this  moment ! 
—Improvement  Era,  Vol.  20,  July,  1917,  p.  824,  June  C.  R. 

MESSAGE  TO  THE  BOYS  IN  WAR  SERVICE.  Our  coun- 
try is  at  war.  This  regrettable  condition  has  been  forced 
upon  us  by  enemies  of  representative  government  and  indi- 
vidual freedom.  Despotism  is  endeavoring  to  gain  the 
ascendency  and  to  establish  its  might  in  the  earth.  Many 
of  our  young  men  who  have  been  reared  in  the  Church, 
taught  the  principles  of  the  gospel  in  the  Sabbath  Schools 
and  other  organizations  of  the  Church,  have  been  called  to 
the  colors  in  defense  of  our  liberties  and  the  liberty  and 
freedom  of  the  world.  In  all  probability  they  will  be  sent  to 
the  front  before  many  months  have  passed  to  take  their 
places  in  the  trenches  in  the  European  battlefields  and  en- 


530  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

gage  in  this  appalling  conflict  the  like  of  which  the  world 
has  never  seen  until  this  day. 

We  most  sincerely  hope  that  our  young  men  will  prove 
loyal  to  their  country  and  stand  honorably  in  its  defense  and 
prove  themselves  worthy  in  every  respect  as  defenders  of 
those  principles  for  which  our  government  was  born  and  for 
which  it  still  exists. 

In  going  forth  to  war  these  young  men  are  liable  to  be 
confronted  with  danger  far  greater  than  that  which  they 
might  expect  from  the  bullets  of  the  enemy.  There  are 
many  evils  that  usually  follow  in  the  wake  of  marshaled 
armies  equipped  for  and  engaged  in  war,  far  worse  than 
honorable  death  which  may  come  in  the  conflict  of  battle.  It 
matters  not  so  much  when  our  young  men  are  called,  or 
where  they  may  go,  but  it  does  matter  much  to  their  parents, 
friends  and  associates  in  the  truth,  and  above  all  to  them- 
selves, how  they  go.  They  have  been  trained  all  their  lives 
as  members  of  the  Church  to  keep  themselvs  pure  and  un- 
spotted from  the  sins  of  the  world,  to  respect  the  rights  of 
others,  to  be  obedient  to  righteous  principles,  to  remember 
that  virtue  is  one  of  the  greatest  gifts  from  God.  Moreover, 
that  they  should  respect  the  virtue  of  others  and  rather  die 
a  thousand  times  than  defile  themselves  by  committing  dead- 
ly sin.  We  want  them  to  go  forth  clean,  both  in  thought  and 
action,  with  faith  in  the  principles  of  the  gospel  and  the 
redeeming  grace  of  our  Lord  and  Savior.  We  would  have 
them  remember  that  only  by  living  clean  and  faithful  lives 
can  they  hope  to  attain  the  salvation  promised  through  the 
shedding  of  the  blood  of  our  Redeemer. 

If  they  will  go  forth  in  this  manner,  fit  companions  for 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  free  from  sin,  and  trusting  in  tHfe 
Lord,  then  whatever  befalls  them  they  will  know  that  they 
have  found  favor  in  the  sight  of  God.  Should  death  over- 
take them  while  thus  engaged  in  the  discharge  of  duty  in 
defense  of  their  country,  they  need  have  no  fear,  for  their 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENTS  537 

salvation  is  assured.  Moreover,  under  conditions  such  as 
these  they  will  have  a  better  claim  to  the  blessings  of  the 
Almighty  and,  like  the  two  thousand  young  men  of  Hela- 
man's  army,  they  will  be  more  likely  to  receive  the  protecting 
care  from  the  Lord. 

Let  them  go  in  the  spirit  of  truth  and  righteousness ;  the 
spirit  which  will  direct  them  to  save  rather  than  destroy; 
which  leads  to  do  good  rather  than  to  commit  evil ;  with  love 
in  their  hearts  for  their  fellow  men,  prepared  to  teach  all 
mankind  the  saving  principles  of  the  gospel.  And,  should 
they  be  required,  in  the  defense  of  the  principles  for  which 
they  go,  to  shed  the  blood  of  any  among  the  contending 
forces,  it  shall  not  be  a  sin,  and  the  blood  of  their  enemies 
shall  not  be  required  at  their  hands. 

We  will  have  no  fear  for  those  who  will  be  true  to  the 
covenants  they  have  made  in  the  waters  of  baptism  and  ob- 
serve to  keep  the  commandments  of  God.  If  they  die,  they 
shall  die  unto  the  Lord  and  shall  stand  before  him  spotless 
and  void  of  offense.  And  should  they  return  unharmed, 
we  will  give  to  our  Father  in  heaven  the  credit  for  his  pro- 
tecting care  over  them  while  in  the  discharge  of  perilous 
duty.  While  they  are  away  the  prayers  of  the  Saints  will 
ascend  in  their  behalf  for  their  protection,  and  we  sincerely 
hope  their  prayers  will  not  be  without  avail,  and  surely  they 
will  avail  if  our  boys  will  continue  to  be  worthy  of  the  mer- 
cies of  the  Lord. — Juvenile  Instructor,  August,  1917,  p.  404, 
Vol.  52. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Eternal  Life  and  Salvation. 

ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION.  Every  man  born  into 
the  world  will  die.  It  matters  not  who  he  is,  nor  where  he 
is,  whether  his  birth  be  among  the  rich  and  the  noble,  or 
among  the  lowly  and  poor  in  the  world,  his  days  are  num- 
bered with  the  Lord,  and  in  due  time  he  will  reach  the  end. 
We  should  think  of  this.  Not  that  we  should  go  about  with 
heavy  hearts  or  with  downcast  countenances ;  not  at  all.  I 
rejoice  that  I  am  born  to  live,  to  die,  and  to  live  again.  I 
thank  God  for  this  intelligence.  It  gives  me  joy  and  peace 
that  the  world  cannot  give,  neither  can  the  world  take  it 
away.  God  has  revealed  this  to  me,  in  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ.  I  know  it  to  be  true.  Therefore,  I  have  nothing  to 
be  sad  over,  nothing  to  make  me  sorrowful.  All  that  I  have 
to  do  with  in  the  world  is  calculated  to  buoy  me  up,  to  give 
me  joy  and  peace,  hope  and  consolation  in  this  present  life, 
and  a  glorious  hope  of  salvation  and  exaltation  in  the  pres- 
ence of  my  God  in  the  world  to  come.  I  have  no  reason  to 
mourn,  not  even  at  death.  It  is  true,  I  am  weak  enough  to 
weep  at  the  death  of  my  friends  and  kindred.  I  may  shed 
tears  when  I  see  the  grief  of  others.  I  have  sympathy  in 
my  soul  for  the  children  of  men.  I  can  weep  with  them 
when  they  weep;  I  can  rejoice  with  them  when  they  rejoice; 
but  I  have  no  cause  to  mourn,  nor  to  be  sad  because  death 
comes  into  the  world.  I  am  speaking  now  of  the  temporal 
death,  the  death  of  the  body.  All  fear  of  this  death  has  been 
removed  from  the  Latter-day  Saints.  They  have  no  dread 
of  the  temporal  death,  because  they  know  that  as  death 
came  upon  them  by  the  transgression  of  Adam,  so  by  the 
righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ  shall  life  come  unto  them, 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        539 

and  though  they  die,  they  shall  live  again.  Possessing  this 
knowledge,  they  have  joy  even  in  death,  for  they  know  that 
they  shall  rise  again  and  shall  meet  again  beyond  the  grave. 
They  know  that  the  spirit  dies  not  at  all ;  that  it  passes 
through  no  change,  except  the  change  from  imprisonment  in 
this  mortal  clay  to  freedom  and  to  the  sphere  in  which  it 
acted  before  it  came  to  this  earth.  We  are  begotten  in  the 
similitude  of  Christ  himself.  We  dwelt  with  the  Father 
and  with  the  Son  in  the  beginning,  as  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  God;  and  at  the  time  appointed,  we  came  to  this 
earth  to  take  upon  ourselves  tabernacles,  that  we  might  be- 
come conformed  to  the  likeness  and  image  of  Jesus  Christ 
and  become  like  him ;  that  we  might  have  a  tabernacle, 
that  we  might  pass  through  death  as  he  has  passed  through 
death,  that  we  might  rise  again  from  the  dead  as  he  has 
risen  from  the  dead.  As  he  was  the  first  fruits  of  the  res- 
urrection of  the  dead,  so  shall  we  be  the  second  fruits  of 
the  resurrection  from  the  dead;  for  as  he  came  forth,  so 
shall  we  come  forth.  What  is  there,  therefore,  to  be  sad 
about?  What  is  there  to  make  us  heavy  of  heart  or  sor- 
rowful in  this  matter?  Nothing  at  all.  Sorrowful,  indeed, 
to  think  that  we  shall  live  forever !  Is  there  any  cause  for 
sorrow  to  know  that  we  shall  rise  from  the  dead,  and  pos- 
sess the  same  tabernacle  that  we  have  here  in  mortality?  Is 
there  cause  for  sorrow  in  this  great,  glorious  gospel  truth 
that  has  been  revealed  to  us  in  this  dispensation?  Certainly 
there  can  be  no  sorrow  connected  with  a  thought  like  this. 
There  must  be  only  joy  connected  with  this  knowledge — the 
joy  that  springs  from  the  ten  thousand  feelings  and  affec- 
tions of  the  human  soul;  the  joy  that  we  feel  in  associa- 
tion with  brethren,  with  wives  and  children,  with  fathers 
and  mothers,  with  brothers  and  sisters.  All  these  joyous 
thoughts  spring  up  in  our  souls  at  the  thought  of  death  and 
the  resurrection.  Wherein  should  we  be  sad  or  sorrowful? 
On  the  contrary,  it  is  cause  for  joy  unspeakable,  and  for 


540  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

pure  happiness.  I  cannot  express  the  joy  I  feel  at  the 
thought  of  meeting  my  father,  and  my  precious  mother, 
ivho  gave  me  birth  in  the  midst  of  persecution  and  poverty, 
who  bore  me  in  her  arms  and  was  patient,  forbearing,  tender 
and  true  during  all  my  helpless  moments  in  the  world.  The 
thought  of  meeting  her,  who  can  express  the  joy?  The 
thought  of  meeting  my  children  who  have  preceded  me  be- 
yond the  veil,  and  of  meeting  my  kindred  and  my  friends, 
what  happiness  it  affords !  For  I  know  that  I  shall  meet 
them  there.  God  has  shown  me  that  this  is  true.  He  has 
made  it  clear  to  me,  in  answer  to  my  prayer  and  devotion, 
as  he  has  made  it  clear  to  the  understanding  of  all  men  who 
have  sought  diligently  to  know  him. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1899,  pp. 
70-71. 

CLOSE  RELATION  OF  THE  NEXT  LIFE.  I  feel  sure 
that  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  and  his  associates,  who,  un- 
der the  guidance  and  inspiration  of  the  Almighty,  and  by 
his  power,  began  this  latter-day  work,  would  rejoice  and 
do  rejoice, — I  was  going  to  say  if  they  were  permitted  to 
look  down  upon  the  scene  that  I  behold  in  this  tabernacle, — 
but  I  believe  they  do  have  the  privilege  of  looking  down 
upon  us  just  as  the  all-seeing  eye  of  God  beholds  every  part 
of  his  handiwork.  For  I  believe  that  those  who  have  been 
chosen  in  this  dispensation  and  in  former  dispensations, 
to  lay  the  foundation  of  God's  work  in  the  midst  of  the 
children  of  men,  for  their  salvation  and  exaltation,  will  not 
be  deprived  in  the  spirit  world  from  looking  down  upon 
the  results  of  their  own  labors,  efforts  and  mission  assigned 
them  by  the  wisdom  and  purpose  of  God,  to  help  to  redeem 
and  to  reclaim  the  children  of  the  Father  from  their  sins. 
So  I  feel  quite  confident  that  the  eye  of  Joseph,  the  prophet, 
and  of  the  martyrs  of  this  dispensation,  and  of  Brigham,  and 
John,  and  Wilford,  and  those  faithful  men  who  were  asso- 
ciated with  them  in  their  ministry  upon  the  earth,  are  care- 
fully guarding  the  interests  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  which 


ETERNAL  LIFE  .  INJD  SALVATION        541 

they  labored  and  for  which  they  strove  during  their  mortal 
lives.  I  believe  they  are  as  deeply  interested  in  our  welfare 
today,  if  not  with  greater  capacity,  with  far  more  interest, 
behind  the  veil,  than  they  were  in  the  flesh.  I  believe  they 
know  more;  I  believe  their  minds  have  expanded  beyond 
their  comprehension  in  mortal  life,  and  their  interests  are 
enlarged  and  expanded  in  the  work  of  the  Lord  to  which 
they  gave  their  lives  and  their  best  service.  Although  some 
may  feel  and  think  that  it  is  a  little  extreme  to  take  this  view, 
yet  I  believe  that  it  is  true ;  and  I  have  a  feeling  in  my  heart 
that  I  stand  in  the  presence  not  only  of  the  Father  and  of 
the  Son,  but  in  the  presence  of  those  whom  God  commis- 
sioned, raised  up,  and  inspired,  to  lay  the  foundations  of 
the  work  in  which  we  are  engaged.  Accompanying  that 
sense  or  feeling,  I  am  impressed  with  the  thought  that  I 
would  not  this  moment  say  or  do  one  thing  that  would  be 
taken  as  unwise  or  imprudent,  or  that  would  give  offense  to 
any  of  my  former  associates  and  co-laborers  in  the  work  of 
the  Lord. 

I  would  not  like  to  say  one  thing,  or  express  a  thought, 
that  would  grieve  the  heart  of  Joseph,  or  of  Brigham,  or  of 
John,  or  of  Wilford,  or  Lorenzo,  or  of  any  of  their  faithful 
associates  in  the  ministry.  Sometimes  the  Lord  expands  our 
vision  from  this  point  of  view  and  this  side  of  the  veil,  that  we 
feel  and  seem  to  realize  that  we  can  look  beyond  the  thin  veil 
which  separates  us  from  that  other  sphere.  If  we  can  see, 
by  the  enlightening  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  God  and 
through  the  words  that  have  been  spoken  by  the  holy 
prophets  of  God,  beyond  the  veil  that  separates  us  from  the 
spirit  world,  surely  those  who  have  passed  beyond,  can  see 
more  clearly  through  the  veil  back  here  to  us  than  it  is  pos- 
sible for  us  to  see  to  them  from  our  sphere  of  action.  I  be- 
lieve we  move  and  have  our  being  in  the  presence  of  heaven- 
ly messengers  and  of  heavenly  beings.  We  are  not  separated 
from  them.  We  begin  to  realize  more  and  more  fully,  as  we 


542  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

become  acquainted  with  the  principles  of  the  gospel,  as  they 
have  been  revealed  anew  in  this  dispensation,  that  we  are 
closely  related  to  our  kindred,  to  our  ancestors,  to  our 
friends  and  associates  and  co-laborers  who  have  preceded  us 
into  the  spirit  world.  We  cannot  forget  them;  we  do  not 
cease  to  love  them;  we  always  hold  them  in  our  hearts,  in 
memory,  and  thus  we  are  associated  and  united  to  them  by 
ties  that  we  cannot  break,  that  we  cannot  dissolve  or  free 
ourselves  from.  If  this  is  the  case  with  us  in  our  finite  con- 
dition, surrounded  by  our  mortal  weaknesses,  shortsighted- 
ness, lack  of  inspiration  and  wisdom,  from  time  to  time, 
how  much  more  certain  it  is,  and  reasonable  and  consistent, 
to  believe  that  those  who  have  been  faithful,  who  have  gone 
beyond,  are  still  engaged  in  the  work  for  the  salvation  of  the 
souls  of  men,  in  the  opening  of  the  prison  doors  to  them 
that  are  bound  and  proclaiming  liberty  to  the  captives,  who 
can  see  us  better  than  we  can  see  them — that  they  know  us 
better  than  we  know  them.  They  have  advanced;  we  are 
advancing;  we  are  growing  as  they  have  grown;  we  are 
reaching  the  goal  that  they  have  attained  unto ;  and  there- 
fore, I  claim  that  we  live  in  their  presence,  they  see  us,  they 
are  solicitous  for  our  welfare,  they  love  us  now  more  than 
ever.  For  now  they  see  the  dangers  that  beset  us ;  they  can 
comprehend  better  than  ever  before,  the  weaknesses  that  are 
liable  to  mislead  us  into  dark  and  forbidden  paths.  They 
see  the  temptations  and  the  evils  that  beset  us  in  life  and 
the  proneness  of  mortal  beings  to  yield  to  temptation  and 
to  wrong  doing;  hence  their  solicitude  for  us  and  their  love 
for  us  and  their  desire  for  our  well  being  must  be  greater 
than  that  which  we  feel  for  ourselves.  I  thank  God  for  the 
feeling  that  I  possess  and  enjoy,  and  for  the  realization  that 
I  have  that  I  stand,  not  only  in  the  presence  of  Almighty 
God,  my  Maker  and  Father,  but  in  the  presence  of  his  Only 
Begotten  Son  in  the  flesh,  the  Savior  of  the  world;  and  I 
stand  in  the  presence  of  Peter  and  James,  (and  perhaps  the 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        543 

eyes  of  John  are  also  upon  us  and  we  know  it  not)  ;  and  that 
I  stand  also  in  the  presence  of  Joseph,  and  Hyrum,  and  Brig- 
ham,  and  John,  and  those  who  have  been  valiant  in  the  tes- 
timony of  Jesus  Christ  and  faithful  to  their  mission  in  the 
world,  who  have  gone  before.  When  I  go,  I  want  to  have 
the  privilege  of  meeting  them  with  the  consciousness  that  I 
have  followed  their  example,  that  I  have  carried  out  the 
mission  in  which  they  were  engaged,  as  they  would  have 
it  carried  out;  that  I  have  been  as  faithful  in  the  discharge 
of  duty,  committed  to  me  and  required  at  my  hand,  as  they 
were  faithful  in  their  time,  and  that  when  I  meet  them,  I 
shall  meet  them  as  I  met  them  here,  in  love,  in  harmony,  in 
unison,  and  in  perfect  confidence  that  I  have  done  my  duty 
as  they  have  done  theirs. 

I  hope  you  will  forgive  me  for  my  emotion.  You  would 
have  peculiar  emotions,  would  you  not,  if  you  felt  that  you 
stood  in  the  presence  of  your  Father,  in  the  very  presence  of 
Almighty  God,  in  the  very  presence  of  the  Son  of  God  and 
of  holy  angels?  You  would  feel  rather  emotional,  rather 
sensitive.  I  feel  it  to  the  very  depths  of  my  soul  this  mo- 
ment. So  I  hope  you  will  forgive  me,  if  I  exhibit  some  of 
my  real  feelings.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1916,  pp.  2-4. 

CONDITION  IN  A  FUTURE  LIFE.  Some  people  dream, 
you  know,  and  think,  and  teach  that  all  the  glory  they  ever 
expect  to  have  in  the  world  to  come  is  to  sit  in  the  light  and 
glory  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  sing  praises  and  songs  of  joy 
and  gratitude  all  their  immortal  lives.  We  do  not  believe  in 
any  such  things.  We  believe  that  every  man  will  have  his 
work  to  do  in  the  other  world,  just  as  surely  as  he  had  it  to 
do  here,  and  a  greater  work  than  he  can  do  here.  We  be- 
lieve that  we  are  on  the  road  of  advancement,  of  develop- 
ment in  knowledge,  in  understanding,  and  in  every  good 
thing,  and  that  we  will  continue  to  grow,  advance,  and 
develop  throughout  the  eternities  that  are  before  us.  That 
is  what  we  believe.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1912,  p.  8. 


544  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

SPIRITUAL  DEATH.  But  I  want  to  speak  a  word  or  two 
in  relation  to  another  death,  which  is  a  more  terrible  death 
than  that  of  the  body.  When  Adam,  our  first  parent,  par- 
took of  the  forbidden  fruit,  transgressed  the  law  of  God, 
and  became  subject  unto  Satan,  he  was  banished  from  the 
presence  of  God,  and  was  thrust  out  into  outer  spiritual 
darkness.  This  was  the  first  death.  Yet  living,  he  was  dead 
— dead  to  God,  dead  to  light  and  truth,  dead  spiritually ;  cast 
out  from  the  presence  of  God ;  communication  between  the 
Father  and  the  Son  cut  off.  He  was  as  absolutely  thrust 
out  from  the  presence  of  God  as  was  Satan  and  the  hosts 
that  followed  him.  That  was  spiritual  death.  But  the  Lord 
said  that  he  would  not  suffer  Adam  nor  his  posterity  to 
come  to  the  temporal  death  until  they  should  have  the  means 
by  which  they  might  be  redeemed  from  the  first  death,  which 
is  spiritual.  Therefore  angels  were  sent  unto  Adam,  who 
taught  him  the  gospel,  and  revealed  to  him  the  principle  by 
which  he  could  be  redeemed  from  the  first  death,  and  be 
brought  back  from  banishment  and  outer  darkness  into  the 
marvelous  light  of  the  gospel.  He  was  taught  faith,  re- 
pentance, and  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins,  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ,  who  should  come  in  the  meridian  of  time 
and  take  away  the  sin  of  the  world,  and  was  thus  given  a 
chance  to  be  redeemed  from  the  spiritual  death  before  he 
should  die  the  temporal  death. 

Now,  all  the  world  today,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  with  the 
exception  of  a  handful  of  people  who  have  obeyed  the  new 
and  everlasting  covenant,  are  suffering  this  spiritual  death. 
They  are  cast  out  from  the  presence  of  God.  They  are 
without  God,  without  gospel  truth,  and  without  the  power 
of  redemption ;  for  they  know  not  God  nor  his  gospel.  In 
order  that  they  may  be  redeemed  and  saved  from  the  spirit- 
ual death  which  has  spread  over  the  world  like  a  pall,  they 
must  repent  of  their  sins,  and  be  baptized  by  one  having  au- 
thority, for  the  remission  of  their  sins,  that  they  may  be 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        545 

born  of  God.  That  is  why  we  want  these  young  men  to  go 
out  into  the  world  to  preach  the  gospel.  While  they  them- 
selves understand  but  little,  perhaps,  the  germ  of  life  u,  m 
them.  They  have  been  horn  again,  they  have  received  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  they  have  the  authority  of  the 
holy  priesthood,  by  which  they  can  administer  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Though  they  may  know  but  little  in  the  beginning,  they 
can  learn,  and  as  they  learn  they  can  preach,  and  as  they 
have  opportunity  they  can  baptize  for  the  remission  of  sins. 
Therefore,  we  want  them  to  do  their  duty  at  home.  We 
want  them  above  all  things  to  be  pure  in  heart. — Oct.  C.  R., 
1899,  p.  72. 

THE  UNPARDONABLE  SIN.  Now,  if  Judas  really  had 
known  God's  power,  and  had  partaken  thereof,  and  did 
actually  "deny  the  truth"  and  "defy"  that  power,  "having 
denied  the  Holy  Spirit  after  he  had  received  it,"  and  also 
"denied  the  Only  Begotten,"  after  God  had  "revealed  him" 
unto  him,  then  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  he  "will  die  the 
second  death." 

That  Judas  did  partake  of  all  this  knowledge — that 
these  great  truths  had  been  revealed  to  him — that  he  had 
.  received  the  Holy  Spirit  by  the  gift  of  God,  and  was  there- 
fore qualified  to  commit  the  unpardonable  sin,  is  not  at  all 
clear  to  me.  To  my  mind  it  strongly  appears  that  not  one 
of  the  disciples  possessed  sufficient  light,  knowledge,  nor  wis- 
dom, at  the  time  of  the  crucifixion,  for  either  exaltation  or 
condemnation;  for  it  was  afterward  that  their  minds  were 
opened  to  understand  the  scriptures,  and  that  they  were 
endowed  with  power  from  on  high ;  without  which  they  were 
only  children  in  knowledge,  in  comparison  to  what  they 
afterwards  became  under  the  influence  of  the  Spirit. 

Saul,  of  Tarsus,  possessing  extraordinary  intelligence 
and  learning,  brought  up  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel.,  taught  ac- 
cording to  the  perfect  manner  of  the  law,  persecuted  the 


36 


546  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

Saints  unto  death,  binding  and  delivering  unto  prisons 
both  men  and  women ;  and  when  the  blood  of  the  Martyr 
Stephen  was  shed,  Saul  stood  by  keeping  the  raiment  of 
those  who  slew  him,  and  consented  unto  his  death.  And 
"he  made  havoc  of  the  Church,  entering  into  every  house, 
and  haling  men  and  women  committed  them  to  prison." 
And  when  they  were  put  to  death,  he  gave  his  voice  against 
them,  and  he  "punished  them  oft  in  every  synagogue,  and 
compelled  them  to  blaspheme ;  and  being  exceedingly  mad 
against  them,  persecuted  them  even  unto  strange  cities." 
and  yet  this  man  committed  no  unpardonable  sin,  because 
he  knew  not  the  Holy  Ghost.  Acts  8:3;  9:1 ;  22:4;  26:10,  11. 

While,  for  the  crime  of  adultery  with  Bathsheba,  and 
for  ordering  Uriah  to  be  put  in  the  front  of  battle  in  a  time 
of  war,  where  he  was  slain  by  the  enemy,  the  priesthood,  and 
the  kingdom  were  taken  from  David,  the  man  after  God's 
own  heart,  and  his  soul  was  thrust  into  hell.  Why?  Be- 
cause "the  Holy  Ghost  spake  by  the  mouth  of  David" — or, 
in  other  words,  David  possessed  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  had  power  to  speak  by  the  light  thereof.  But  even 
David,  though  guilty  of  adultery  and  the  murder  of  Uriah, 
obtained  the  promise  that  his  soul  should  not  be  left  in  hell. 
Which  means,  as  I  understand  it,  that  even  he  shall  escape 
the  second  death. 

While  suspended  upon  the  cross,  in  the  agonies  of 
death,  as  he  was  about  to  yield  up  his  spirit,  our  gracious, 
glorious  Savior  breathed  this  memorable  and  merciful 
prayer:  "Father,  forgive  them;  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do."  (Luke  23:34.) 

No  man  can  sin  against  light  until  he  has  it;  nor 
against  the  Holy  Ghost,  until  after  he  has  received  it  by  the 
gift  of  God  through  the  appointed  channel  or  way.  To  sin 
against  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  the  Comforter, 
the  Witness  of  the  Father  and  the  Son,  wilfully  denying 
him  and  defying  him,  after  having  received  him,  constitutes 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        547 

this  sin.  Did  Judas  possess  this  light,  this  witness,  this 
Comforter,  this  baptism  of  fire  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  this 
endowment  from  on  high?  If  he  did,  he  received  it  before 
the  betrayal,  and  therefore  before  the  other  eleven  apostles. 
And  if  this  be  so,  may  you  say,  "he  is  a  son  of  perdition 
without  hope  ?"  But  if  he  was  destitute  of  this  glorious  gift 
and  outpouring  of  the  Spirit,  by  which  the  witness  came  to 
the  eleven,  and  their  minds  were  opened  to  see  and  know 
the  truth,  and  they  were  able  to  testify  of  him,  then  what 
constituted  the  unpardonable  sin  of  this  poor,  erring  crea- 
ture, who  rose  no  higher  in  the  scale  of  intelligence,  honor 
or  ambition  than  to  betray  the  Lord  of  glory  for  thirty 
pieces  of  silver? 

But  not  knowing  that  Judas  did  commit  the  unpardon- 
able sin ;  nor  that  he  was  a  "son  of  perdition  without  hope" 
who  will  die  the  second  death,  nor  what  knowledge  he  pos- 
sessed by  which  he  was  able  to  commit  so  great  a  sin,  I 
prefer,  until  I  know  better,  to  take  the  merciful  view  that  he 
may  be  numbered  among  those  for  whom  the  blessed  Mas- 
ter prayed,  "Father,  forgive  them ;  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do."— Improvement  Era,  Vol.  21,  June,  1918,  p.  732. 

THE  RESURRECTION.  Speaking  of  the  resurrection,  the 
subject  on  which  so  much  has  been  said  during  this  con- 
ference, and  appropriately  said,  too — we  distinctly  believe 
that  Jesus  Christ  himself  is  the  true,  and  only  true  type  of 
the  resurrection  of  men  from  death  unto  life.  We  believe 
there  is  no  other  form  of  resurrection  from  death  to  life ; 
that  as  he  rose,  and  as  he  preserved  his  identity,  even  to  the 
scars  of  the  wounds  in  his  hands  and  feet  and  side,  that  he 
could  prove  himself  to  those  that  were  skeptical  of  the 
possibility  of  rising  from  the  dead,  that  he  was  indeed  him- 
self, the  Lord  crucified,  buried  in  the  tomb,  and  raised  again 
from  death  to  life,  so  it  will  be  with  you  and  with  every 
son  and  daughter  of  Adam,  born  into  the  world.  You  will 
not  lose  your  identity  any  more  than  Christ  did.  You  will 


548  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

be  brought  forth  from  death  to  life  again,  just  as  surely  as 
Christ  was  brought  forth  from  death  to  life  again,  just  as 
surely  as  those  who  ministered  to  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith 
had  been  raised  from  death  to  life — therefore,  in  the  same 
manner  in  which  Christ  has  been  raised,  so  will  life,  and  the 
resurrection  from  death  to  life  again,  come  upon  all  who 
have  descended  from  our  first  parents.  The  death'  that 
came  into  the  world  by  Adam's  transgression  has  been  con- 
quered, and  its  terror  vanquished  by  the  power  and  right- 
eousness of  the  Son  of  God.  He  came  to  redeem  man  from 
the  temporal  death,  and  also  to  save  him  from  spiritual 
death  if  he  will  repent  of  his  sins,  and  will  believe  on  the 
name  of  Christ,  follow  his  example,  and  obey  his  laws. — 
Apr.  C.  R.,  1012,  p.  135-136. 

NATURE  OF  MINISTERING  ANGELS.  We  are  told  by  the 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  that  "there  are  no  angels  who  minis- 
ter to  this  earth  but  those  who  do  belong  or  have  belonged  to 
it."  Hence,  when  messengers  are  sent  to  minister  to  the 
inhabitants  of  this  earth,  they  are  not  strangers,  but  from 
the  ranks  of  our  kindred,  friends,  and  fellow-beings  and 
fellow-servants.  The  ancient  prophets  who  died  were  those 
who  came  to  visit  their  fellow  creatures  upon  the  earth. 
They  came  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob ;  it  was  such 
beings — holy  beings  if  you  please — that  waited  upon  the 
Savior  and  administered  to  him  on  the  Mount.  The 
angel  that  visited  John,  when  an  exile,  and  unfolded 
to  his  vision  future  events  in  the  history  of  man  upon 
the  earth,  was  one  who  had  been  here,  who  had  toiled 
and  suffered  in  common  with  the  people  of  God;  for 
you  remember  that  John,  after  his  eyes  had  beheld  the 
glories  of  the  great  future,  was  about  to  fall  down  and 
worship  him,  but  was  peremptorily  forbidden  to  do  so. 
"See  thou  do  it  not ;  for  I  am  thy  fellow  servant,  and 
of  thy  brethren  the  prophets,  and  of  them  which  keep  the 
sayings  of  this  book:  worship  God."  (Rev.  22:9.)  Jesus  has 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        549 

visited  the  people  of  this  earth  from  time  to  time.  He 
visited  and  showed  himself  in  his  spiritual  body  to  the 
brother  of  Jared,  touching  certain  stones  with  his  ringer, 
that  the  brother  of  Jared  had  fashioned  out  of  the  rock, 
making  them  to  give  light  to  him  and  his  people  in  the 
barges  in  which  they  crossed  the  waters  of  the  great  deep 
to  come  to  this  land.  He  visited  others  at  various  times 
before  and  after  he  tabernacled  in  the  flesh.  It  was  Jesus 
who  created  this  earth,  it  therefore  is  his  inheritance,  and 
he  had  a  perfect  right  to  come  and  minister  to  inhabitants 
of  this  earth.  He  came  in  the  meridian  of  time  and  tab- 
ernacled in  the  flesh,  some  33  years  among  men,  introduc- 
ing and  teaching  the  fulness  of  the  gospel,  and  calling 
upon  all  men  to  follow  in  his  footsteps ;  to  do  the  same 
thing  that  he  himself  did,  that  they  might  be  worthy  to 
inherit  with  him  the  same  glory.  After  he  suffered  the  death 
of  the  body,  he  appeared,  not  only  to  his  disciples  and 
others  on  the  eastern  continent,  but  to  tne  inhabitants  of 
this  continent,  and  he  ministered  unto  them  as  he  did  to  the 
people,  in  the  land  of  Palestine.  In  like  manner  our  fathers 
and  mothers,  brothers,  sisters  and  friends  who  have  passed 
away  from  this  earth,  having  been  faithful,  and  worthy  to 
enjoy  these  rights  and  privileges,  may  have  a  mission  given 
them  to  visit  their  relatives  and  friends  upon  the  earth  again, 
bringing  from  the  divine  Presence  messages  of  love,  of 
warning,  of  reproof  and  instruction,  to  those  whom  they 
had  learned  to  love  in  the  flesh.  And  so  it  is  with  Sister 
Cannon.  She  can  return  and  visit  her  friends,  provided  it  be 
in  accordance  with  the  wisdom  of  the  Almighty.  There 
are  laws  to  which  they  who  are  in  the  Paradise  of  God 
must  be  subject,  as  well  as  laws  to  which  we  are  subject.  It 
is  our  duty  to  make  ourselves  acquainted  with  those  laws, 
that  we  may  know  how  to  live  in  harmony  with  his  will 
while  we  dwell  in  the  flesh,  that  we  may  be  entitled  to 
come  forth  in  the  morning  of  the  first  resurrection,  clothed 


550  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

with  glory,  immortality  and  eternal  lives,  and  be  permitted 
to  sit  down  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  And  except  we  become  acquainted  with  those 
laws,  and  live  in  harmony  with  them,  we  need  not  expect 
to  enjoy  these  privileges;  Joseph  Smith,  Hyrum  Smith, 
Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Jedediah  M.  Grant, 
David  Patten,  Joseph  Smith,  Sen.,  and  all  those  noble  men 
who  took  an  active  part  in  the  establishment  of  this  work, 
and  who  died  true  and  faithful  to  their  trust,  have  the  right 
and  privilege,  and  possess  the  keys  and  power,  to  minister 
to  the  people  of  God  in  the  flesh  who  live  now,  as  much 
so  and  on  the  same  principle  as  the  ancient  servants  of 
God  had  the  right  to  return  to  the  earth  and  minister  to 
the  Saints  of  God  in  their  day. 

These  are  correct  principles.  There  is  no  question  about 
that  in  my  mind.  It  is  according  to  the  Scriptures;  it  is 
according  to  the  revelation  of  God  to  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith;  and  it  is  a  subject  upon  which  we  may  dwell  with 
pleasure  and  perhaps  profit  to  ourselves,  provided  we  have 
the  Spirit  of  God  to  direct  us. — Discourse  delivered  at  the 
funeral  services  of  Elizabeth  H.  Cannon,  Fourteenth  ward 
assembly  rooms,  Salt  Lake  City,  Jan.  29,  1882.  Journal  of 
Discourses,  Vol.  22,  pp.  350-353. 

REDEMPTION  BEYOND  THE  GRAVE.  "But  wo  unto  him 
that  has  the  law  given ;  yea,  that  has  all  the  commandments 
of  God,  like  unto  us,  and  that  transgresseth  them,  and  that 
wasteth  the  days  of  his  probation,  for  awful  is  his  state"  (II 
Nephi  9:27-38;  see  also  Alma  11 :40,41). 

Now,  it  is  evident  that  such  as  these  have  no  chance 
for  redemption,  no  matter  what  may  be  done  for  them  in 
hope  or  by  faith,  for  they  will  have  sinned  against  life  and 
knowledge,  and  are,  therefore,  worthy  of  damnation.  It  is 
nowhere  revealed  that  such  as  these  will  ever  be  forgiven, 
although  we  are  informed  that  all  of  God's  judgments  are 
not  given  unto  men. 


INTERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        551 

There  is  no  other  means  of  salvation  revealed  or  given 
to  the  children  of  men  except  that  offered  by  the  Son  of 
Clod,  and  those  who  reject  this,  whether  before  or  after 
they  have  received  it  in  part,  cannot  be  saved,  because  they 
rejected  the  means  of  their  redemption  and  salvation.  Not 
so  with  those  to  whom  Christ  went  to  deliver  the  gospel 
when  his  body  lay  in  the  tomb;  they  were  disobedient  to  the 
message  of  Noah,  which  was  a  warning  to  them  to  repent  or 
they  should  be  destroyed  by  a  flood.  We  are  not  told  to 
what  extent  the  gospel  of  Christ,  in  its  fulness,  was  pro- 
claimed to  them,  but  are  left  to  suppose  that  the  message 
of  Noah  was  not  the  fulness  of  the  gospel,  but  a  cry  of  re- 
pentance from  sin  that  they  might  escape  destruction  by  the 
flood.  They  hardened  their  hearts  against  Noah's  message, 
and  would  not  receive  it,  and  were  punished  for  this  diso- 
bedience in  their  destruction  by  the  flood ;  thus  in  part  pay- 
ing the  penalties  for  their  disobedience ;  but  not  having  re- 
ceived the  light  they  could  not  be  condemned  as  those  spoken 
of  in  9th  Nephi,  who  had  all  the  commandments  of  God 
given  unto  them. 

Therefore,  Jesus  went  with  his  message  to  their  spirits 
in  prison  and  proclaimed  liberty  and  deliverance  to  them 
through  their  obedience  in  the  spirit  world,  that  the  work 
might  be  done  for  them  in  the  flesh,  and  they  be  judged  ac- 
cording to  men  in  the  flesh,  and  live  according  to  God  in  the 
spirit.  So  there  is  no  conflict  in  these  scriptures.  Of  course, 
there  is  a  difference  between  those  who  receive  the  light  of 
the  gospel  and  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ  and  afterwards 
rebel  against  that  light  and  reject  it,  thereby  putting  Christ 
to  an  open  shame,  and  crucifying  him,  and  those  who  are 
referred  to  by  Alma:  "Therefore  the  wicked  remain  as 
though  there  had  been  no  redemption  made."  These  are 
not  under  as  great  a  condemnation  as  those  who  have  re- 
ceived it  and  rejected  it;  but  so  long  as  they  remain  unre- 
pentant and  wicked,  there  is  no  redemption  for  them  any 


552  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

more  than  for  the  others ;  but  it  is  possible  that  these  may 
repent  in  the  spirit  world. 

In  relation  to  the  deliverance  of  spirits  from  their  prison 
house,  of  course,  we  believe  that  can  only  be  done  after  the 
gospel  has  been  preached  to  them  in  the  spirit,  and  they 
have  accepted  the  same,  and  the  work  necessary  to  their  re- 
demption by  the  living  be  done  for  them.  That  this  work 
may  be  hastened  so  that  all  who  believe  in  the  spirit  world 
may  receive  the  benefit  of  deliverance,  it  is  revealed  that  the 
great  work  of  the  Millennium  shall  be  the  work  in  the  tem- 
ples for  the  redemption  of  the  dead;  and  then  we  hope  to 
enjoy  the  benefits  of  revelation  through  the  Urim  and 
Thummim,  or  by  such  means  as  the  Lord  may  reveal  con- 
cerning those  for  whom  the  work  shall  be  done,  so  that  we 
may  not  work  by  chance,  or  by  faith  alone,  without  knowl- 
edge, but  with  the  actual  knowledge  revealed  unto  us.  It 
stands  to  reason  that,  while  the  gospel  may  be  preached  unto 
all,  the  good  and  the.  bad,  or  rather  to  those  who  would 
repent  and  to  those  who  would  not  repent  in  the  spirit 
world,  the  same  as  it  is  here,  redemption  will  only  come  to 
those  who  repent  and  obey.  There  is,  no  doubt,  great  leni- 
ency given  to  people  who  are  anxious  to  do  the  work  for 
their  dead,  and  in  some  instances,  very  unwortny  people  may 
have  the  work  done  for  them;  it  does  not  follow,  however, 
that  they  will  receive  any  benefit  therefrom,  and  the  correct 
thing  is  to  do  the  work  only  for  those  of  whom  we  have  the 
testimony  that  they  will  receive  it.  However,  we  are  dis- 
posed to  give  the  benefit  of  the  doubt  to  the  dead,  as  it  is 
better  to  do  the  work  for  many  who  are  unworthy  than  to 
neglect  one  who  is  worthy.  Now,  we  know  in  part  and  see 
in  part,  but  we  steadfastly  look  forward  to  the  time  when 
that  which  is  perfect  will  come.  We  are  left  largely  to  our 
own  agency  here,  to  exercise  our  own  intelligence  and  to 
receive  all  the  light  that  is  revealed  so  far  as  we  are  capable 
of  receiving  it,  and  only  those  who  seek  the  light,  and  desire 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        553 

it,  are  likely  to  find  it. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  5,  Decem- 
ber, 1901,  pp.  145-7. 

NATURE  OF  DEATH.  God"  has  given  laws  to  govern  all 
his  works,  and  especially  has  he  given  laws  to  govern  his 
people,  who  are  his  sons  and  daughters.  We  have  come  to 
sojourn  in  the  flesh,  to  obtain  tabernacles  for  our  immortal 
spirits ;  or,  in  other  words,  we  have  come  for  the  purpose  of 
accomplishing  a  work  like  that  which  was  accomplished  by 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The  object  of  our  earthly  existence 
is  that  we  may  have  a  fulness  of  joy,  and  that  we  may  be- 
come the  sons  and  daughters  of  God,  in  the  fullest  sense  of 
the  word,  being  heirs  of  God  and  joint  heirs  with  Jesus 
Christ,  to  be  kings  and  priests  unto  God,  to  inherit  glory, 
dominion,  exaltation,  thrones  and  every  power  and  attri- 
bute developed  and  possessed  by  our  heavenly  Father.  This 
is  the  object  of  our  being  on  this  earth.  In  order  to  at- 
tain unto  this  exalted  position,  it  is  necessary  that  we  go 
through  this  mortal  experience,  or  probation,  by  which  we 
may  prove  ourselves  worthy,  through  the  aid  of  our  elder 
Brother,  Jesus.  The  spirit,  without  the  body  is  not  perfect. 
It  is  not  capacitated,  without  the  body,  to  possess  a  fulness 
of  the  glory  of  God,  and  therefore  it  cannot,  without  the 
body,  fulfil  its  destiny.  We  are  foreordained  to  become  con- 
formed to  the  likeness  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  and  in 
order  that  we  may  become  like  unto  him,  we  must  follow 
in  his  footsteps,  even  until  we  sanctify  ourselves  by  the  law 
of  truth  and  righteousness.  This  is  the  law  of  the  celestial 
kingdom,  and  when  we  die,  its  power  will  bring  us  forth  in 
the  morning  of  the  first  resurrection,  clothed  with  glory,  im- 
mortality and  eternal  lives.  Unless  we  do  keep  the  law  that 
God  has  given  unto  us  in  the  flesh,  which  we  have  the  priv- 
ilege of  receiving  and  understanding,  we  cannot  be  quick- 
ened by  its  glory,  neither  can  we  receive  the  fulness  thereof, 
and  the  exaltation  of  the  celestial  kingdom. 

"There  is  a  law,  irrevocably  decreed  in  heaven  before 


554  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

the  foundations  of  the  world,  upon  which  all  blessings  are 
predicated ;  and  when  we  obtain  any  blessing  from  God,  it 
is  by  obedience  to  that  law  upon  which  it  is  predicated. "- 
(Doc  and  Cov.  130:20.) 

We  must,  therefore,  learn  the  laws  of  heaven,  which 
are  the  laws  of  the  gospel,  live  and  obey  them  with  all  our 
hearts,  and  in  faith  abide  in  them,  perfecting  ourselves 
thereby,  in  order  to  receive  the  fulness  of  the  glory  of  that 
kingdom.  *  *  * 

While  we  are  in  mortality  we  are  clogged,  and  we  see 
as  through  a  glass  darkly,  we  see  only  in  part,  and  it  is  dif- 
ficult for  us  to  comprehend  the  smallest  things  with  which 
we  are  associated.  But  when  we  put  on  immortality,  our  con- 
dition will  be  very  different,  for  we  ascend  into  an  enlarged 
sphere;  although  we  shall  not  become  perfect  immediately 
after  our  departure  from  the  body,  for  the  spirit  without 
the  body  is  not  perfect,  and  the  body  without  the  spirit  is 
dead.  The  disembodied  spirit  during  the  interval  of  the 
death  of  the  body  and  its  resurrection  from  the  grave  is 
not  perfect,  hence  it  is  not  prepared  to  enter  into  the  ex- 
altation of  the  celestial  kingdom ;  but  it  has  the  privilege 
of  soaring  in  the  midst  of  immortal  beings,  and  of  enjoy- 
ing, to  a  certain  extent,  the  presence  of  God,  not  the  fulness 
of  his  glory,  not  the  fulness  of  the  reward  which  we  are  seek- 
ing and  which  we  are  destined  to  receive,  if  found  faithful 
to  the  law  of  the  celestial  kingdom,  but  only  in  part. 

The  righteous  spirit  that  departs  from  this  earth  is  as- 
signed its  place  in  the  Paradise  of  God ;  it  has  its  priv- 
ileges and  honors  which  are  in  point  of  excellency,  far  above 
and  beyond  human  comprehension ;  and  in  this  sphere  of  ac- 
tion, enjoying  this  partial  reward  for  its  righteous  conduct 
on  the  earth,  it  continues  its  labors,  and  in  this  respect  is 
very  different  from  the  state  of  the  body  from  which  it  is 
released.  For  while  the  body  sleeps  and  decays,  the  spirit 
receives  a  new  birth ;  to  it  the  portals  of  life  are  opened.  It 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        555 

is  born  again  into  the  presence  of  God.  The  spirit  of  our 
beloved  sister  in  taking  its  departure  from  this  world  is  born 
again  into  the  spirit  world,  returning  there  from  the  mis- 
sion it  had  been  performing  in  this  state  of  probation,  hav- 
ing been  absent  a  few  years  from  father,  mother,  kindred, 
friends,  neighbors,  and  from  all  that  was  dear;  it  has  re- 
turned nearer  to  the  home-circle,  to  old  associations  and 
scenes,  much  in  the  same  way  as  a  man  who  comes  home 
from  a  foreign  mission,  to  join  again  his  family  and  friends 
and  enjoy  the  pleasures  and  comforts  of  home. 

This  is  the  condition  of  her  whose  remains  now  lie  be- 
fore us,  and  of  every  one  who  has  been  faithful  to  virtue  and 
purity,  while  traveling  here  below;  but  more  especially  of 
those  who  while  here  had  the  privilege  of  obeying  the  gos- 
pel, and  who  lived  true  and  faithful  to  its  covenants.  In- 
stead of  continuing  here  among  the  things  of  time,  sur- 
rounded as  we  are  with  the  weaknesses  of  a  fallen  world, 
and  subject  to  earthly  cares  and  sorrows,  they  are  freed  from 
them  to  enter  a  state  of  joy,  glory  and  exaltation;  not  a  ful- 
ness of  any  one  of  them,  but  to  await  the  morning  of  the  res- 
urrection of  the  just,  to  come  forth  from  the  grave  to  redeem 
the  body,  and  to  be  reunited  with  it,  and  thus  become  a  liv- 
ing soul,  an  immortal  being  never  more  to  die.  Having  ac- 
complished its  work,  having  gone  through  its  earthly  pro- 
bation, and  having  fulfilled  its  mission  here  below,  it  is  then 
prepared  for  the  knowledge  and  glory  and  exaltation  of  the 
celestial  kingdom.  This  Jesus  did ;  and  he  is  our  forerunner, 
he  is  our  exemplar.  The  path  which  he  marked  out  we  have 
to  walk  in,  if  we  ever  expect  to  dwell,  and  be  crowned  with 
him  in  his  kingdom.  We  must  obey  and  put  our  trust  in 
him,  knowing  that  he  is  the  Savior  of  the  world. 

What  reason  have  we  to  mourn?  None,  except  that 
we  are  deprived  for  a  few  days  of  the  society  of  one  whom 
we  love.  And  if  we  prove  faithful  while  in  the  flesh  we  will 
soon  follow,  and  be  glad  that  we  had  the  privilege  of  passing 


556  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

through  mortality,  and  that  we  lived  in  a  day  in  which  the 
fulness  of  the  everlasting  gospel  was  preached,  through 
which  we  will  be  exalted,  for  there  is  no  exaltation  but 
through  obedience  to  law.  Every  blessing,  privilege,  glory, 
or  exaltation  is  obtained  only  through  obedience  to  the  law 
upon  which  the  same  is  promised.  If  we  will  abide  the  law, 
we  shall  receive  the  reward ;  but  we  can  receive  it  on  no 
other  ground.  Then  let  us  rejoice  in  the  truth,  in  the  res^- 
toration  of  the  priesthood — that  power  delegated  to  man,  by 
virtue  of  which  the  Lord  sanctions  in  the  heavens  what  man 
does  upon  the  earth.  The  Lord  has  taught  us  the  ordinances 
of  the  gospel  by  which  we  may  perfect  our  exaltation  in 
his  kingdom.  We  are  not  living  as  the  heathen,  without  law ; 
that  which  is  necessary  for  our  exaltation  has  been  revealed. 
Our  duty,  therefore,  is  to  obey  the  laws,  then  we  shall  re- 
ceive our  reward,  no  matter  whether  we  are  cut  down  in 
childhood,  in  manhood  or  old  age ;  it  is  all  the  same,  so  long 
'as  we  are  living  up  to  the  light  we  possess  we  shall  not  be 
shorn  of  any  blessing,  nor  deprived  of  any  privilege;  for 
there  is  a  time  after  this  mortal  life,  and  there  is  a  way  pro- 
vided by  which  we  may  fulfil  the  measure  of  our  creation 
and  destiny,  and  accomplish  the  whole  great  work  that  we 
have  been  sent  to  do,  although  it  may  reach  far  into  the  fu- 
ture before  we  fully  accomplish  it. 

Jesus  had  not  finished  his  work  when  his  body  was  slain, 
neither  did  he  finish  it  after  his  resurrection  from  the  dead, 
although  he  had  accomplished  the  purpose  for  which  he 
then  came  to  the  earth,  he  had  not  fulfilled  all  his  work. 
And  when  will  he?  Not  until  he  has  redeemed  and  saved 
every  son  and  daughter  of  our  father  Adam  that  has  or  ever 
will  be  born  upon  this  earth  to  the  end  of  time,  except  the 
sons  of  perdition.  That  is  his  mission.  We  will  not  finish 
our  work  until  we  have  saved  ourselves,  and  then  not  until 
we  shall  have  saved  all  depending  upon  us ;  for  we  are  to 
become  saviors  upon  Monut  Zion,  as  well  as  Christ.  We  are 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        557 

called  to  this  mission.  The  dead  are  not  perfect  without  us, 
neither  are  we  without  them.  We  have  a  mission  to  perform 
for  and  in  their  behalf;  we  have  a  certain  work  to  do  in 
order  to  liberate  those  who,  because  of  their  ignorance  and 
the  unfavorable  circumstances  in  which  they  were  placed 
while  here,  are  unprepared  for  eternal  life ;  we  have  to  open 
the  door  for  them,  by  performing  ordinances  which  they 
cannot  perform  for  themselves,  and  which  are  essential  to 
their  release  from  the  "prison-house/'  to  come  forth  and 
live  according  to  God  in  the  spirit,  and  be  judged  according 
to  man  in  the  flesh. 

The  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  has  said  that  this  is  one  of 
the  most  important  duties  that  devolves  upon  the  Latter-day 
Saints.  And  why?  Because  this  is  the  dispensation  of  the 
fulness  of  times,  which  will  usher  in  the  millennial  reign, 
and  in  which  all  things  spoken  by  the  mouths  of  holy  proph- 
ets, since  the  world  began,  must  be  fulfilled,  and  all  things 
united,  both  which  are  in  heaven  and  in  the  earth.  We 
have  that  work  to  do;  or,  at  least  all  we  can  of  it,  leav- 
ing the  balance  to  our  children,  in  whose  hearts  we  should 
instil  the  importance  of  this  work,  rearing  them  in  the  love 
of  the  truth  and  in  the  knowledge  of  these  principles,  so 
that  when  we  pass  away,  having  done  all  we  can  do,  they 
will  then  take  up  the  labor  and  continue  it  until  it  is  con- 
summated. 

May  the  Lord  bless  this  bereaved  family  and  comfort 
them  in  their  deprivation.  Those  who  die  in  the  Lord  shall 
not  taste  of  death.  When  Adam  partook  of  the  forbidden 
fruit  he  was  cast  out  from  the  presence  of  God  into  outer 
darkness ;  that  is,  he  was  shut  out  from  the  presence  of  his 
glory  and  the  privilege  of  his  society,  which  was  spiritual 
death.  This  was  the  first  death ;  this  indeed  was  death ;  for 
he  was  shut  out  from  the  presence  of  God;  and  ever  since, 
Adam's  posterity  have  been  suffering  the  penalty  of  this 
spiritual  death,  which  is  banishment  from  his  presence  and 


558  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

the  society  of  holy  beings.  This  first  death  will  also  be  the 
second  death.  Now  we  look  upon  the  mortal  remains  of  our 
departed  sister ;  her  immortal  part  has  gone.  Where  ?  Into 
outer  darkness? — banished  from  the  presence  of  God?  No, 
but  born  again  into  his  presence,  restored,  or  born  from 
death  to  life,  to  immortality  and  to  joy  in  his  presence.  This 
is  not  death,  then;  and  this  is  true  in  relation  to  all  Saints 
who  die  in  the  Lord  and  the  covenant  of  the  gospel.  They 
return  from  the  midst  of  death  to  life,  where  death  has  no 
power. 

There  is  no  death  except  to  those  who  die  in  sin,  with- 
out the  sure  and  steadfast  hope  of  the  resurrection  of  the 
just.  There  is  no  death  where  we  continue  in  the  knowledge 
of  the  truth  and  have  hope  of  a  glorious  resurrection.  Life 
and  immortality  are  brought  to  light  through  the  gospel; 
hence,  there  is  no  death  here;  here  is  peaceful  slumber,  a 
quiet  rest  for  a  little  season,  and  then  she  will  come  forth 
again  to  enjoy  this  tabernacle.  If  there  is  anything  lacking 
in  regard  to  ordinances  pertaining  to  the  House  of  the  Lord, 
which  may  have  been  omitted  or  not  reached,  those  require- 
ments can  be  attended  to  for  her.  Here  are  her  father 
and  mother,  her  brothers  and  sisters ;  they  know  the  ordin- 
ances necessary  to  be  performed  in  order  to  secure  every 
benefit  and  blessing  that  it  was  possible  for  her  to  have  re- 
ceived in  the  flesh.  These  ordinances  have  been  revealed 
unto  us  for  this  very  purpose,  that  we  might  be  born  into 
the  light  from  the  midst  of  this  darkness — from  death 
into  life. 

We  live,  then ;  we  do  not  die ;  we  do  not  anticipate  death ; 
but  we  anticipate  life,  immortality,  glory,  exaltation,  and  to 
be  quickened  by  the  glory  of  the  celestial  kingdom,  and  re- 
ceive of  the  same  even  a  fulness.  This  is  our  destiny;  this 
is  the  exalted  position  to  which  we  may  attain,  and  there 
is  no  power  that  can  deprive  or  rob  us  of  it,  if  we  prove 
faithful  and  true  to  the  covenant  of  the  gospel. — Funeral 


INTERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        559 

sermon  preached  over  the  remains  of  Emma  Wells,  Salt  Lake 
City,  April  11,  1878.— Journal  of  Discourses,  Vol.  19,  1878, 
pp.  258-265. 

THE  RESURRECTION.  Guided  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  by  faith  in  God,  in  the  testimony  of  his  prophets  and 
in  the  scriptures,  I  accept  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection 
with  all  my  heart,  and  rejoice  at  its  confirmation  in  nature 
with  the  awakening  of  each  returning  spring.  The  Spirit 
of  God  testifies  to  me,  and  has  revealed  to  me,  to  my  com- 
plete personal  satisfaction,  that  there  is  life  after  death, 
and  that  the  body  which  we  lay  down  here  will  be  reunited 
with  our  spirits  to  become  a  perfect  soul,  capable  of  re- 
ceiving a  fulness  of  joy  in  the  presence  of  God. — Improve- 
ment Era,  Vol.  16,  1912-1913,  pp.  508-510. 

THE  RESURRECTION.  It  is  true  all  of  us  are  clothed 
with  mortality,  but  our  spirits  existed  long  before  they  took 
upon  them  this  tabernacle  that  we  now  inhabit.  When  this 
body  dies,  the  spirit  does  not  die.  The  spirit  is  an  immor- 
tal being,  and  when  separated  from  the  body  takes  its  flight 
to  the  place  prepared  for  it,  and  there  awaits  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  body,  when  the  spirit  will  return  again  and 
re-occupy  this  tabernacle  which  it  occupied  in  this  world. 

This  great  and  glorious  principle  of  the  resurrection  is 
no  longer  a  theory,  as  some  think,  but  it  is  an  accomplished 
fact  which  has  been  demonstrated  beyond  all  successful  con- 
tradiction, doubt  or  controversy.  Job,  who  lived  before  the 
resurrection  of  Christ,  possessing  the  spirit  of  prophecy, 
looked  forward  to  the  time  of  the  resurrection.  He  compre- 
hended the  fact.  He  understood  the  principles  and  knew 
the  power  and  design  of  God  to  bring  it  to  pass,  and  pre- 
dicted its  accomplishment.  He  declares :  "I  know  that  my 
Redeemer  liveth,  and  that  he  shall  stand  at  the  latter  day 
upon  the  earth ;"  he  further  says,  "and  though  after  my  skin 
worms  destroy  this  body,  yet  in  my  flesh  shall  I  see  God" 
(Job  19:26).  He  looked  forward  to  something  not  yet 


560  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

done,  something  which  had  never  been  done  in  this  world 
before  his  day.  It  was  not  accomplished  till  long  after  his 
time.  Having  received  the  spirit  of  the  gospel  and  of  reve- 
lation, he  was  enabled  to  look  down  into  unborn  time  and  see 
his  body  which  had  mouldered  and  crumbled  into  dust 
raised  from  the  dead.  What  he  saw  by  the  eye  of  faith  has 
become  actual  history  unto  us,  and  \ve  possess  not  only  the 
history  of  the  fact  but  a  knowledge  by  the  testimony  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  of  its  truth.  We  are  not  therefore  situated  as 
Job  was,  we  live  in  the  latter  times  which  are  pregnant  with 
grand  and  glorious  events,  among  the  greatest  of  which  is 
this  glorious  principle  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  which 
is  no  longer  a  mere  prediction,  a  cherished  hope,  or  a  pro- 
phetic promise,  but  a  reality ;  for  long  before  our  day  it  has 
actually  been  accomplished.  Christ  himself  burst  the  bar- 
riers of  the  tomb,  conquered  death  and  the  grave  and  came 
forth  "the  first  fruits  of  them  that  slept."  But,  says  one, 
how  can  we  know  that  Jesus  was  put  to  death  or  resur- 
rected ?  We  have  plenty  of  evidence  to  show  that  Jesus  was 
crucified  and  resurrected.  We  have  the  testimony  of  his 
disciples,  and  they  produce  irrefutable  evidence  that  they 
did  see  him  crucified,  and  witnessed  the  wounds  of  the  nails 
and  spear  which  he  received  on  the  cross.  They  also  testify 
that  this  body  was  laid  away  in  a  sepulchre  wherein  no  man 
had  lain,  and  they  rolled  a  great  stone-  to  the  door  and  de- 
parted. 

Now  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  were  not  satisfied 
with  the  crucifixion  and  burial  of  our  Lord  and  Savior; 
they  remembered  that  while  living  he  had  said  that  after 
three  days  he  would  rise  again,  so  they  established  a  strong 
guard  to  protect  the  sepulchre  and  set  a  seal  upon  the  stone, 
lest  his  disciples  should  come  by  night  and  steal  away  the 
body  and  say  unto  the  people,  "He  is  risen  from  the  dead," 
and  thus  perpetrate  a  fraud  upon  the  world. 

Lo  and  behold !  by  this  act  those  unbelieving  guards 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        561 

became  actual  witnesses  to  the  fact  that  a  heavenly  personage 
came  and  rolled  away  the  stone  and  that  Jesus  came  forth. 
The  disciples  witness  and  testify  to  the  resurrection,  and 
their  testimony  can  not  be  impeached.  It  therefore  stands 
good,  and  is  true  and  faithful. 

But  is  this  the  only  evidence  we  have  to  depend  on? 
Have  we  nothing  but  the  testimony  of  the  ancient  disciples 
to  rest  our  hopes  upon?  Thank  God  we  have  more.  And 
the  additional  evidence  which  we  possess  enables  us  to  be- 
come witnesses  to  the  truth  of  the  testimony  of  the 
ancient  disciples.  We  go  to  the  Book  of  Mormon ;  it  testi- 
fies of  the  death  and  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  in  plain 
and  unmistakable  terms ;  we  may  go  to  the  book  of  Doctrine 
and  Covenants  containing  the  revelations  of  this  dispensa- 
tion, and  we  shall  find  clear  and  well  defined  evidence  there. 
We  have  the  testimony  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  the 
testimony  of  Oliver  Cowdery,  and  the  testimony  of  Sidney 
Rigdon,  that  they  saw  the  Lord  Jesus — the  same  that  was 
crucified  in  Jerusalem — and  that  he  revealed  himself  unto 
them.  Joseph  and  Sidney  testify  to  it  as  follows : 

"We,  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  and  Sidney  Rigdon,  being  in 
the  Spirit  on  the  sixteenth  of  February,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty-two,  by  the 
power  of  the  Spirit  our  eyes  were  opened  and  our  under- 
standings were  enlightened,  so  as  to  understand  the  things 
of  God — even  those  things  which  were  from  the  beginning 
before  the  world  was,  which  were  ordained  of  the  Father, 
through  his  Only  Begotten  Son,  who  was  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Father,  even  from  the  beginning,  of  whom  we  bear  record, 
and  the  record  which  we  bear  is  the  fulness  of  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  Son,  whom  we  saw  and  with  whom 
we  conversed  in  the  heavenly  vision"  (Doc.  and  Cov.  sec. 
76:11-16). 

They  were  called  to  be  special  witnesses  of  Jesus  Christ 
and  his  death  and  resurrection. 

37 


562  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

We  have  also  the  testimony  of  the  ancient  disciples 
who  lived  on  this  continent  of  the  crucifixion  and  resurrec- 
tion. You  will  find  their  testimony  recorded  in  the  Book 
of  Mormon.  The  disciples  who  lived  upon  this  continent 
knew  what  traaspired  at  Jerusalem ;  the  Lord  showed  them 
these  things.  After  his  resurrection  he  manifested  himself 
to  his  disciples  on  this  continent,  and  showed  them  the 
wounds  he  had  received  on  Calvary.  They  were  convinced 
that  Jesus  was  the  Christ  and  the  Redeemer  of  the  world. 
They  beheld  him  in  the  flesh  and  they  bear  witness  of  it, 
and  their  testimony  is  true.  We  have  the  testimony  of 
many  witnesses.  We  have  the  testimony  of  eleven  special 
witnesses  to  the  divine  authenticity  of  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
which  book  testifies  of  Christ's  resurrection,  containing  as 
it  does  the  records  of  the  ancient  prophets  and  disciples  of 
Christ  on  this  continent,  thus  confirming  their  testimonies. 

Is  this  all  the  evidence  we  have?  No.  Joseph  Smith 
boldly  declared  to  the  world  that  if  mankind  would  sin- 
cerely repent  of  their  sins  and  be  baptized  by  authority  they 
should  not  only  receive  a  remission  of  their  sins,  but,  by  the 
laying  on  of  hands,  they  should  receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
should  know  of  the  doctrine  for  themselves.  Thus  all  who 
obey  the  law  and  abide  in  the  truth  become  witnesses  of 
this  and  other  equally  great  and  precious  truths.  Today 
there  are  thousands  of  Latter-day  Saints  living  in  Utah  and 
throughout  the  world  who  have  attained  to  the  possession 
of  these  things,  both  men  and  women.  If  we  witness  by 
our  acts,  and  from  our  hearts,  our  determination  to  carry 
out  the  mind  and  will  of  the  Lord  we  shall  have  this  double 
assurance  of  a  glorious  resurrection,  and  be  able  to  say  as 
the  Prophet  Job  said — his  was  a  glorious  declaration — "For 
I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,  and  that  he  shall  [again] 
stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the  earth ;  and  though  after  my 
skin  worms  destroy  this  body,  yet  in  my  flesh  shall  I  see 
God ;  whom  I  shall  see  for  myself,  and  mine  eyes  shall  be- 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        563 

hold,  and  not  another ;  though  my  reins  be  consumed  within 
me"  (Job  19:25,26).  Thousands  have  received  this  testi- 
mony and  can  witness  unto  God  and  testify  from  their  hearts 
that  they  know  these  things. 

I  bear  my  testimony,  and  surely  it  is  of  as  much  force 
and  effect,  if  it  be  true,  as  the  testimony  of  Job,  the  testi- 
monies of  the  disciples  of  Jerusalem,  the  disciples  on  this 
continent,  of  Joseph  Smith,  or  any  other  man  who  told  the 
truth.  All  are  of  equal  force  and  binding  on  the  world.  If 
no  man  had  ever  testified  to  these  things  upon  the  face  of 
the  globe,  I  want  to  say  as  a  servant  of  God,  independent  of 
the  testimonies  of  all  men  and  of  every  book  that  has  been 
written,  that  I  have  received  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  in 
my  own  heart,  and  I  testify  before  God,  angels  and  men, 
without  fear  of  the  consequences,  that  I  know  that  my  Re- 
deemer lives,  and  I  shall  see  him  face  to  face,  and  stand 
with  him  in  my  resurrected  body  upon  this  earth,  if  I  am 
faithful ;  for  God  has  revealed  this  unto  me.  I  have  received 
the  witness,  and  I  bear  my  testimony,  and  my  testimnoy  is 
true. 

The  testimony  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  is  in  addition  to 
and  consonant  with  that  of  the  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ  who 
lived  at  Jerusalem,  those  who  lived  on  this  continent,  the 
Prophet  Joseph,  Oliver,  Sidney,  and  others,  of  our  crucified 
and  risen  Redeemer,  because  they  received  it  not  of  them,  but 
by  the  same  Spirit  by  which  they  received  it.  No  man  ever 
received  this  testimony  unless  the  Spirit  of  God  revealed  it 
unto  him. 

We  will  see  Brother  Urie  again.  Sister  Urie  will  meet 
him  on  the  other  side  of  the  grave.  The  spirit  and  the 
body  will  be  reunited.  We  shall  see  each  other  in  the  flesh, 
in  the  same  tabernacles  that  we  have  here  while  in  mortal- 
ity. Our  tabernacles  will  be  brought  forth  as  they  are  laid 
down,  although  there  will  be  a  restoration  effected;  every 
organ,  every  limb  that  has  been  maimed,  every  deformity 


564  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

caused  by  accident  or  in  any  other  way,  will  be  restored  and 
put  right.  Every  limb  and  joint  *hall  be  restored  to  its 
proper  frame.  We  will  know  each  other  and  enjoy  each 
other's  society  throughout  the  endless  ages  of  eternity,  if  we 
keep  the  law  of  God.  It  is  for  us  to  remain  true  and  faith- 
ful and  keep  our  covenants,  and  to  train  our  children  up 
in  the  paths  of  holiness,  virtue  and  truth,  in  the  principles 
of  the  gospel,  that  we  may  with  them  be  prepared  to  enjoy 
the  perfect  and  eternal  day. — Discourse  delivered  at  the  fu- 
neral services  of  James  Urie,  Sixteenth  ward,  Salt  Lake  City, 
February  3,  1883. — Journal  of  Discourses,  Vol.  24,  pp. 
75-82. 

ON  THE  RESURRECTION.  I  believe  that  as  Christ  arose 
from  the  dead,  so  shall  all  the  faithful  arise.  We  shall  all 
see  each  other  again.  I  know  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  that 
after  his  death  and  burial  he  arose  from  the  dead,  and  be- 
came the  first  fruits  of  the  resurrection.  To  all  believers, 
and  to  the  Latter-day  Saints  especially,  there  is  sweet  com- 
fort in  this  knowledge,  and  in  the  thought  that  through  obe- 
dience to  the  ordinances  and  principles  of  the  gospel,  which 
Christ,  our  Savior,  taught  and  enjoined  upon  the  people  and 
his  disciples,  men  shall  be  born  again,  redeemed  from  sin, 
arise  from  the  grave,  and,  like  Jesus,  return  into  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Father.  Death  is  not  the  end.  When  we,  sor- 
rowing, lay  away  our  loved  ones  in  the  grave,  we  have  an 
assurance  based  upon  the  life,  words  and  resurrection  of 
Christ,  that  wre  shall  again  meet  and  shake  hands  and  asso- 
ciate with  them  in  a  better  life,  where  sorrow  and  trouble 
are  ended,  and  where  there  is  to  be  no  more  parting. 

This  knowledge  is  one  of  the  greatest  incentives  that  we 
have  to  live  right  in  this  life,  to  pass  through  mortality,  do- 
ing and  feeling  and  accomplishing  good.  The  spirits  of  all 
men,  as  soon  as  they  depart  from  this  mortal  body,  whether 
they  are  good  or  evil,  we  are  told  in  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
are  taken  home  to  that  God  who  gave  them  life,  where  there 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        565 

is  a  separation,  a  partial  judgment,  and  the  spirits  of  those 
who  are  righteous  are  received  into  a  state  of  happiness 
which  is  called  paradise,  a  state  of  rest,  a  state  of  peace, 
where  they  expand  in  wisdom,  where  they  have  respite  from 
all  their  troubles,  and  where  care  and  sorrow  do  not  annoy. 
The  wicked,  on  the  contrary,  have  no  part  nor  portion  in  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord,  and  they  are  cast  into  outer  darkness, 
being  led  captive,  because  of  their  own  iniquity,  by  the  evil 
one.  And  in  this  space  between  death  and  the  resurrection 
of  the  body,  the  two  classes  of  souls  remain,  in  happiness  or 
in  misery,  until  the  time  which  is  appointed  of  God  that  the 
dead  shall  come  forth  and  be  reunited  both  spirit  and  body, 
and  be  brought  to  stand  before  God,  and  be  judged  accord- 
ing to  their  works.  This  is  the  final  judgment. 

Where  a  man  has  obeyed  the  principles  of  the  gospel, 
used  his  influence  for  good,  injured  no  soul,  loved  righteous- 
ness, and  despised  wrong  doing,  laying  down  his  body  to  the 
rest  of  the  righteous  in  the  grave,  I  feel  and  know  that,  in 
addition  to  the  spirit's  promised  state  of  peace  and  rest  in 
paradise,  there  will  be  a  glorious  reunion  of  body  and  spirit, 
a  bright  awakening  for  him  in  the  resurrection,  and  a  fu- 
ture beyond,  full  of  happiness.  When  this  time  shall  come, 
none  but  God  knoweth,  but  we  do  know  that  all  men  shall 
come  forth  from  the  dead. 

Now,  I  know  these  statements  to  be  true ;  I  know  them 
to  be  true  by  the  thrill  of  the  inspiration  of  God  which 
fills  my  entire  being  with  this  knowledge.  To  me  they  are 
consistent  with  God's  wisdom  and  with  his  holy  purposes. 
We  have  the  testimony  of  Christ,  the  testimony  of  the 
prophets,  the  whisperings  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  with 
these  evidences,  I  cannot  help  but  believe,  and  know  that 
there  is  a  resurrection  of  the  dead,  a  literal,  actual  resur- 
rection of  the  body.  I  cannot  believe  that  a  wise  and  mer- 
ciful God  would  create  a  man  like  our  friend  and  brother, 
upright,  honorable,  honest  in  all  his  dealings  and  in  his 


566  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

life,  only  to  live  a  few  years,  then  to  pass  away  forever,  to 
be  known  no  more.  As  Jesus  arose  from  the  dead  so  will 
he,  and  all  the  innocent  and  righteous,  arise.  The  elements 
which  compose  this  temporal  body  will  not  perish,  will  not 
cease  to  exist,  but  in  the  day  of  the  resurrection  these  ele- 
ments will  come  together  again,  bone  to  bone,  and  flesh  to 
flesh.  The  body  will  come  forth  as  it  is  laid  to  rest,  for  there 
is  no  growth  nor  development  in  the  grave.  As  it  is  laid 
down,  so  will  it  arise,  and  changes  to  perfection  will  come  by 
the  law  of  restitution. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  7,  June, 
1914,  p.  619. 

RESURRECTION  AND  FINAL  JUDGMENT.  When  the 
spirit  leaves  the  body,  it  returns,  says  the  prophet,  imme- 
diately to  God,  to  be  assigned  to  its  place,  either  to  as- 
sociate with  the  good  and  the  noble  ones  who  have  lived  in 
the  paradise  of  God,  or  to  be  confined  in  the  "prison-house" 
to  await  the  resurrection  of  the  body  from  the  grave.  There- 
fore we  know  that  Brother  Clayton  has  gone  to  God,  gone 
to  receive  the  partial  judgment  of  the  Almighty  which  per- 
tains to  the  period  intervening  between  the  death  of  the 
body  and  the  resurrection  of  the  body,  or  the  separation  of 
the  spirit  from  the  body  and  their  uniting  together  again. 
This  judgment  is  passed  upon  the  spirit  alone.  But  there 
will  come  a  time,  which  will  be  after  the  resurrection,  when 
the  body  and  spirit  shall  be  reunited,  when  the  final  judg- 
ment will  be  passed  on  every  man.  This  is  in  accordance 
with  the  vision  of  John  the  Revelator : 

"And  I  saw  the  dead,  small  and  great,  stand  before 
God ;  and  the  books  were  opened ;  and  another  book  was 
opened,  which  is  the  book  of  life ;  and  the  dead  were  judged 
out  of  those  things  which  were  written  in  the  books,  accord- 
ing to  their  works. 

"And  the  sea  gave  up  the  dead  which  were  in  it;  and 
death  and  hell  delivered  up  the  dead  which  were  in  them: 
*  *  *  and  death  and  hell  were  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire. 
This  is  the  second  death. 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALl  'ATION        567 

"And  whosoever  was  not  found  written  in  the  book 
of  life  was  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire"  (Rev.  20:  12-15). 

That  is  the  final  judgment,  which  we  will  all  receive 
after  we  have  performed  this  our  earthly  mission. 

The  Savior  did  not  finish  his  work  when  he  expired  on 
the  cross,  when  he  cried  out,  "It  is  finished."  He,  in  using 
those  words,  had  no  reference  to  his  great  mission  to  the 
earth,  but  merely  to  the  agonies  which  he  suffered.  The 
Christian  world,  I  know,  say  he  alluded  to  the  great  work 
of  redemption.  This,  however,  is  a  great  mistake,  and  is 
indicative  of  the  extent  of  their  knowledge  of  the  plan  of 
life  and  salvation.  I  say  he  referred  merely  to  the  agonies 
of  death,  and  the  sufferings  he  felt  for  the  wickedness  of 
men  who  would  go  so  far  as  to  crucify  their  Redeemer.  It 
was  this  feeling  and  this  alone,  that  prompted  him  to  cry 
out  in  the  agony  of  his  soul,  "It  is  finished,"  and  then  he 
expired. 

But  his  work  was  not  completed ;  it  was  in  fact  only 
begun.  If  he  had  stopped  here  instead  of  his  being  the 
Savior  of  the  world,  he,  as  well  as  all  mankind,  would  have 
perished  irredeemably,  never  to  have  come  forth  out  of  the 
grave;  for  it  was  designed  from  the  beginning  that  he 
should  be  the  first  fruits  of  them  that  slept ;  it  was  part  of 
the  great  plan  that  he  should  burst  the  bands  of  death  and 
gain  the  victory  over  the  grave.  If,  therefore,  his  mission 
had  ceased  when  he  gave  up  the  ghost,  the  world  would 
have  slumbered  in  the  dust  in  interminable  death,  never  to 
have  risen  to  live  again.  It  was  but  a  small  part  of  the  mis- 
sion of  the  Savior  that  was  performed  when  he  suffered 
death;  it  was  indeed  the  lesser  part;  the  great  had  yet  to 
be  done. 

It  was  in  his  resurrection  from  the  tomb,  in  his  coming 
forth  from  death  unto  life,  in  uniting  again  the  spirit  and 
the  body  that  he  might  become  a  living  soul ;  and  when  this 
was  done,  then  he  was  prepared  to  return  to  the  Father, 


568  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

And  all  this  was  in  strict  accordance  with  the  great  plan  of 
salvation.  For  even  Christ  himself,  though  without  sin,  was 
required  to  observe  the  outward  ordinance  of  baptism,  in 
order  to  fulfil  all  righteousness. 

So,  after  his  resurrection  from  the  dead  he  could  return 
to  the  Father,  there  to  receive  the  welcome  plaudit,  Well 
done  ;  you  have  done  your  work,  you  have  accomplished  your 
mission,  you  have  wrought  out  salvation  for  all  the  children 
i)f  Adam;  you  have  redeemed  all  men  from  the  grave;  and 
through  their  obedience  to  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel 
which  you  have  established,  they  can  also  be  redeemed  from 
the  spiritual  death,  again  to  be  brought  back  into  our  pres- 
ence, to  partake  of  glory,  exaltation  and  eternal  life  with 
us. 

And  so  it  will  be  when  we  come  forth  out  of  the  grave, 
when  the  trump  shall  sound,  and  these  our  bodies  shall  rise 
and  our  spirits  shall  enter  into  them  again,  and  they  shall 
become  living  souls  no  more  to  be  dissolved  or  separated, 
but  to  become  inseparable,  immortal,  eternal. 

Then  we  shall  stand  before  the  bar  of  God  to  be  judged. 
So  says  the  Bible,  so  says  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  so  say 
the  revelations  which  have  come  direct  to  us  through  the 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith.  And  then  those  who  have  not  been 
subject  and  obedient  to  the  celestial  law  will  not  be  quick- 
ened by  the  celestial  glory.  And  those  who  have  not  been 
subject  and  obedient  to  the  terrestrial  law  will  not  be  quick- 
ened by  the  terrestrial  glory.  And  those  who  have  not  been 
subject  and  obedient  to  the  telestial  law,  will  not  be  quick- 
ened by  a  telestial  glory ;  but  they  will  have  a  kingdom  with- 
out glory. 

The  sons  of  perdition,  men  who  once  were  in  posses- 
sion of  the  light  and  truth,  but  who  turned  away  from  *hem 
and  denied  the  Lord,  putting  him  to  an  open  shame,  as  did 
the  Jews  when  they  crucified  him  and  said,  "His  blood  be 
on  us,  and  on  our  children ;"  men  who  consent,  against  light 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        569 

and  knowledge,  to  the  shedding  of  innocent  blood,  it  will  be 
said  unto  them,  "Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed"  (Matt.  25  :41). 
I  never  knew  you ;  depart  into  the  second  death,  even  ban- 
ishment from  the  presence  of  God  for  ever  and  ever,  where 
the  worm  dieth  not  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched,  from 
whence  there  is  no  redemption,  neither  in  time  nor  in  eter- 
nity. Herein  is  the  difference  between  the  second  and  the 
first  death,  herein  man  became  spiritually  dead ;  for  from  the 
first  death  he  may  be  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  Christ, 
through  obedience  to  the  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  gospel, 
but  from  the  second  there  is  no  redemption  at  all. 

We  read  in  the  Book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  that 
the  devil  tempted  Adam,  and  he  partook  of  the  forbidden 
fruit,  and  transgressed  the  commandment,  wherein  he  be- 
came subject  to  the  will  of  the  devil  because  he  yielded  unto 
temptation,  and  because  of  this  transgression  he  became 
"spiritually  dead,  which  is  the  first  death,  even  that  same 
death,  which  is  the  last  death,  which  is  spiritual,  which  shall 
be  pronounced  upon  the  wicked  when  I  shall  say — Depart, 
ye  cursed!"  (Doc.  and  Cov.  29:41.) 

But  who  will  receive  such  punishment?  Only  those 
who  deserve  it,  those  who  commit  the  unpardonable  sin. 

Then  there  is  the  banishment  of  the  transgressor  (not 
the  sons  of  perdition)  into  the  prison  house,  a  place  of  pun- 
ishment, with  no  exaltation,  no  increase,  no  dominion,  no 
power,  whose  inhabitants  after  their  redemption  may  become 
servants  of  them  that  have  obeyed  the  laws  of  God  and  kept 
the  faith.  That  will  be  the  punishment  of  such  as  reject  the 
truth,  but  sin  not  unto  death. — Discourse  delivered  at  funeral 
of  William  Clayton,  in  Seventeenth  ward  meetinghouse, 
Salt  Lake  City,  December  7,  1879. — Journal  of  Discourses, 
Vol.  21,  1881,  pp.  9-13. 

CONDITION  OF  CHILDREN  IN  HEAVEN.  If  we  have  re- 
ceived the  testimony  of  the  spirit  of  truth  in  our  souls  we 
know  that  all  is  well  with  our  little  children  who  pass  away, 


570  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

that  we  could  not,  if  we  would,  better  their  condition; 
and  least  of  all  would  it  better  their  condition  if  we 
could  call  them  back  here,  for  the  reason  that  so  long  as 
man  is  in  the  world,  clothed  with  mortality,  surrounded  by 
the  evils  that  are  in  the  world,  he  runs  chances  and  is  sub- 
ject to  risks,  and  there  are  responsibilities  resting  upon  him 
which  may  prove  fatal  to  his  future  prosperity,  happiness 
and  exaltation.  It  is  only  those  who  are  thoroughly  and 
firmly  grounded  in  the  truth,  who  are  established  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  life,  that  will  be  able  to  certainly  claim  the  reward 
of  the  faithful,  and  an  exaltation  in  the  presence  of  the 
Father.  As  soon  as  any  man  turns  away  from  the  truth 
that  binds  him  to  God,  that  moment  he  is  in  danger,  and 
may  fall. 

But,  with  little  children  who  are  taken  away  in  infancy 
and  innocence  before  they  have  reached  the  years  of  account- 
ability, and  are  not  capable  of  committing  sin,  the  gospel  re- 
veals to  us  the  fact  that  they  are  redeemed,  and  Satan  has  no 
power  over  them.  Neither  has  death  any  power  over  them. 
They  are  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  Christ,  and  they  are 
saved  just  as  surely  as  death  has  come  into  the  world 
through  the  fall  of  our  first  parents.  It  is  further  written 
that  Satan  has  no  power  over  men  or  women,  except  that 
power  which  he  gains  over  them  in  this  world.  In  other 
words,  none  of  the  children  of  the  Father  who  are  redeemed 
through  obedience,  faith,  repentance,  and  baptism  for  the 
remission  of  sins,  and  who  live  in  that  redeemed  condition, 
and  die  in  that  condition  are  subject  to  Satan.  Therefore 
he  has  no  power  over  them.  They  are  absolutely  beyond  his 
reach,  just  as  little  children  are  who  die  without  sin.  To 
my  mind  this  is  a  consolation  and  a  glorious  truth  that  my 
soul  delights  in.  I  am  grateful  to  my  heavenly  Father  that 
he  has  revealed  it  unto  me,  for  it  affords  a  consolation  that 
nothing  else  can  give,  and  it  brings  a  joy  to  my  spirit 
that  nothing  can  take  away,  except  the  consciousness  on  my 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        571 

part  of  having  sinned  and  transgressed  against  light  and 
knowledge  which  I  may  have  possessed. 

Under  these  circumstances,  our  beloved  friends  who 
are  now  deprived  of  their  little  one,  have  great  cause  for 
joy  and  rejoicing,  even  in  the  midst  of  the  deep  sorrow 
that  they  feel  at  the  loss  of  their  little  one  for  a  time.  They 
know  he  is  all  right ;  they  have  the  assurance  that  their  little 
one  has  passed  away  without  sin.  Such  children  are  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Father.  They  will  inherit  their  glory  and  their 
exaltation,  and  they  will  not  be  deprived  of  the  blessings 
that  belong  to  them;  for,  in  the  economy  of  heaven,  and  in 
the  wisdom  of  the  Father,  who  doeth  all  things  well,  those 
who  are  cut  down  as  little  children  are,  without  any  respon- 
sibility for  their  taking  off,  they,  themselves,  not  having  the 
intelligence  and  wisdom  to  take  care  of  themselves  and  to 
understand  the  laws  of  life,  and  in  the  wisdom  and  mercy 
and  economy  of  God  our  heavenly  Father,  all  that  could  have 
been  obtained  and  enjoyed  by  them  if  they  had  been  per- 
mitted to  live  in  the  flesh  will  be  provided  for  them  here- 
after. They  will  lose  nothing  by  being  taken  away  from  us 
in  this  way. 

This  is  a  consolation  to  me.  Joseph  Smith,  the  prophet, 
is  the  author  under  God  of  these  principles.  He  was  in 
touch  with  the  heavens.  God  revealed  himself  unto  him, 
and  made  known  unto  him  the  principles  that  lie  before  us, 
and  which  are  comprised  in  the  everlasting  gospel;  Joseph 
Smith  declared  that  the  mother  who  laid  down  her  little 
child,  being  deprived  of  the  privilege,  the  joy,  and  the  satis- 
faction of  bringing  it  up  to  manhood  or  womanhood  in  this 
world,  would,  after  the  resurrection,  have  all  the  joy,  satis- 
faction and  pleasure,  and  even  more  than  it  would  have  been 
possible  to  have  had  in  mortality,  in  seeing  her  child  grow 
to  the  full  measure  of  the  stature  of  its  spirit.  If  this  be 
true,  and  I  believe  it,  what  a  consolation  it  is.  Jesus  Christ 
was  the  Son  of  God  before  he  came  into  the  world,  yet  he 


572  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

came  as  an  infant,  grew  and  developed  into  manhood,  and 
when  his  spirit  departed  from  its  tabernacle  it  went  to  pro- 
claim the  gospel  to  the  spirits  which  were  imprisoned,  pos- 
sessing all  the  intelligence,  powers  and  faculties  which  it 
had  in  the  flesh,  except  the  possession  of  the  body,  wherein 
he  became  absolutely  like  unto  God.  And  so  I  believe  it 
is  with  all  men  that  come  into  the  world.  Every  spirit  that 
comes  to  this  earth  to  take  upon  it  a  tabernacle  is  a  son  or  a 
daughter  of  God,  and  possesses  all  the  intelligence  and  all 
the  attributes  that  any  son  or  daughter  can  enjoy  either  in 
the  spirit  world  or  in  this  world,  except  that  in  the  spirit  and 
separated  from  the  body,  they  lacked  just  the  tabernacle  of 
being  like  God  the  Father.  It  is  said  that  God  is  a  spirit, 
and  they  who  worship  him  must  worship  him  in  spirit  and 
in  truth.  But  he  is  a  spirit,  possessing  the  tabernacle  of 
flesh  and  bones,  as  tangible  as  a  man's,  and  therefore  to  be 
like  God  and  Jesus  all  men  must  have  a  body.  It  matters 
not  whether  these  tabernacles  mature  in  this  world,  or  have 
to  wait  and  mature  in  the  world  to  come,  according  to  the 
word  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith ;  the  body  will  develop, 
either  in  time  or  in  eternity,  to  the  full  stature  of  the  spirit, 
and  when  the  mother  is  deprived  of  the  pleasure  and  joy  of 
rearing  her  babe  to  manhood  or  to  womanhood  in  this  life 
through  the  hand  of  death,  that  privilege  will  be  renewed  to 
her  hereafter,  and  she  will  enjoy  it  to  a  fuller  fruition  than 
it  would  be  possible  for  her  to  do  here.  When  she  does  it, 
there,  it  will  be  with  the  certain  knowledge  that  the  results 
will  be  without  failure.  Whereas,  here,  the  results  are  un- 
known until  after  we  have  passed  the  test. 

With  these  thoughts  in  my  mind,  I  take  consolation  in 
the  fact  that  I  shall  meet  my  children  who  have  passed  be- 
hind the  veil ;  I  have  lost  a  number,  and  I  have  felt  all  that  a 
parent  can  feel,  I  think,  in  the  loss  of  my  children.  I  have 
felt  it  keenly,  for  I  love  children,  and  I  am  particularly  fond 
of  the  little  ones,  but  I  feel  thankful  to  God  for  the  knowl- 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        573 

edge  of  these  principles,  because  now  I  have  every  confidence 
in  his  word  and  in  his  promise  that  I  will  possess  in  the 
future  all  that  belongs  to  me,  and  my  joy  will  be  full.  I 
will  not  be  deprived  of  any  privilege  or  any  blessing  that  I 
am  worthy  of,  and  that  may  be  properly  entrusted  to  me. 
But  every  gift,  and  every  blessing  that  it  is  possible  for  me 
to  become  worthy  of  I  shall  possess,  either  in  time  or  in 
eternity,  and  it  will  matter  not,  so  that  I  acknowledge  the 
hand  of  God  in  all  these  things,  and  say  in  my  heart,  "the 
Lord  giveth  and  the  Lord  taketh  away,  blessed  be  the  name 
of  the  Lord."  This  is  the  way  we  should  feel  with  regard 
to  our  children,  or  our  relatives,  or  friends,  or  in  whatever 
vicissitudes  we  may  be  called  to  pass  through. 

Now,  the  beauty  of  this  to  me  is  that  I  know  these 
things,  that  I  am  satisfied  of  them,  and  so  long  as  I  possess 
the  spirit  of  truth  I  have  no  fear  that  any  doubt  or  uncer- 
tainty will  ever  enter  my  mind  in  regard  to  these  principles. 
There  is  only  one  course  that  I  might  pursue  which  would 
bring  about  mistrust  and  fear,  trembling  and  doubt,  in  rela- 
tion to  these  things.  And  that  would  be  for  me  to  deny 
the  truth  and  cut  myself  loose  from  the  guiding  influences 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  for  I  do  know  that  so  long  as  a  man  is 
under  the  guiding  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  God  he  never 
can  deny  these  truths  which  God  has  revealed  to  him,  and  in 
that  condition  he  is  not  subject  to  the  power  of  Satan.  It  is 
only  when  he  transgresses  the  law  of  God,  and  dismisses 
these  principles  from  his  thoughts,  that  he  becomes  subject 
to  the  powers  of  evil,  that  his  mind  becomes  darkened,  and 
he  begins  to  doubt  and  fear.  But,  let  a  man  have  the  Spirit 
of  God  in  his  heart,  that  Spirit  which  reveals  the  things  of 
God  unto  men,  and  makes  them  to  know  the  truth  as  God 
himself  knows  it,  he  never  can  doubt  those  things  which 
God  has  revealed.  Therefore,  I  rejoice  in  these  truths,  for  I 
know  they  are  true. 

I  know  that  Brother  Heber  and  his  companion,  if  they 


574  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

are  faithful  to  the  light  they  possess,  and  to  the  covenants 
that  they  have  entered  into  before  the  Lord,  will  just  as  as- 
suredly inherit  the  joy  and  the  possession  and  the  glory  of 
this  little  one  that  has  now  departed,  as  that  they  see  its 
little  form  lying  here  before  them  this  moment.  Everyone 
who  has  the  spirit  of  truth  in  his  soul  must  feel  this  to  be 
true. — Remarks  at  the  funeral  of  Daniel  Wells  Grant,  child 
of  Heber  J.  Grant,  and  Emily  Wells  Grant,  in  family  resi- 
dence, Salt  Lake  City,  March  12,  1895. — Young  Woman's 
Journal,  Vol.  6,  pp.  369-374. 

STATUS  OF  CHILDREN  IN  THE  RESURRECTION.  The  spir- 
its of  our  children  are  immortal  before  they  come  to  us,  and 
their  spirits,  after  bodily  death,  are  like  they  were  before 
they  came.  They  are  as  they  would  have  appeared  if  they 
had  lived  in  the  flesh,  to  grow  to  maturity,  or  to  develop  their 
physical  bodies  to  the  full  stature  of  their  spirits.  If  you  see 
one  of  your  children  that  has  passed  away  it  may  appear  to 
you  in  the  form  in  which  you  would  recognize  it,  the  form 
of  childhood ;  but  if  it  came  to  you  as  a  messenger  bearing 
some  important  truth,  it  would  perhaps  come  as  the  spirit 
of  Bishop  Edward  Hunter's  son  (who  died  when  a  little 
child)  came  to  him,  in  the  stature  of  full-grown  manhood, 
and  revealed  himself  to  his  father,  and  said:  "I  am  your 
son." 

Bishop  Hunter  did  not  understand  it.  He  went  to  my 
father  and  said :  "Hyrum,  what  does  that  mean  ?  I  buried 
my  son — when  only  a  little  boy,  but  he  has  come  to  me  as 
a  full-grown  man — a  noble,  glorious  young  man,  and  de- 
clared himself  my  son.  What  does  it  mean?" 

Father  (Hyrum  Smith  the  Patriarch)  told  him  that  the 
Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ  was  full  grown  before  he  was  born 
into  the  world ;  and  so  our  children  were  full  grown  and  pos- 
sessed their  full  stature  in  the  spirit,  before  they  entered 
mortality,  the  same  stature  that  they  will  possess  afer  they 
have  passed  away  from  mortality,  and  as  they  will  also  ap- 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        575 

pear  after  the  resurrection,  when  they  shall  have  completed 
their  mission. 

Joseph  Smith  taught  the  doctrine  that  the  infant  child 
that  was  laid  away  in  death  would  come  up  in  the  resurrec- 
tion as  a  child ;  and  pointing  to  the  mother  of  a  lifeless 
child,  he  said  to  her:  "You  will  have  the  joy,  the  pleasure, 
and  satisfaction  of  nurturing  this  child,  after  its  resurrec- 
tion, until  it  reaches  the  full  stature  of  its  spirit."  There 
is  restitution,  there  is  growth,  there  is  development,  after 
the  resurrection  from  death.  I  love  this  truth.  It  speaks 
volumes  of  happiness,  of  joy  and  gratitude  to  my  soul. 
Thank  the  Lord  he  has  revealed  these  principles  to  us. 

In  1854,  I  met  with  my  aunt,  the  wife  of  my  uncle,  Don 
Carlos  Smith,  who  was  the  mother  of  that  little  girl  that 
Joseph  Smith,  the  Prophet,  was  speaking  about  when  he 
told  the  mother  that  she  should  have  the  joy,  the  pleasure, 
and  the  satisfaction  of  rearing  that  child,  after  the  resurrec- 
tion, until  it  reached  the  full  stature  of  its  spirit;  and  that 
it  would  be  a  far  greater  joy  than  she  could  possibly  have 
in  mortality,  because  she  would  be  free  from  the  sorrow 
and  fear  and  disabilities  of  mortal  life,  and  sKe  would  know 
more  than  she  could  know  in  this  life.  I  met  that  widow, 
the  mother  of  that  child,  and  she  told  me  this  circumstance 
and  bore  testimony  to  me  that  this  was  what  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith  said  when  he  was  speaking  at  the  funeral  of 
her  little  daughter. 

One  clay  I  was  conversing  with  a  brother-in-law  of 
mine,  Lorin  Walker,  who  married  my  oldest  sister.  In  the 
course  of  the  conversation  he  happened  to  mention  that  he 
was  present  at  the  funeral  of  my  cousin  Sophronia,  and  that 
he  heard  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  declare  the  very  words 
that  Aunt  Agnes  had  told  me. 

I  said  to  him,  "Lorin,  what  did  the  Prophet  say?"  and 
he  repeated,  as  nearly  as  he  could  remember,  what  the 
Prophet  Joseph  said  in  relation  to  little  children.  The  body 


576  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

remains  undeveloped  in  the  grave,  but  the  spirit  returns  to 
God  who  gave  it.  Afterwards,  in  the  resurrection,  the  spirit 
and  body  will  be  reunited;  the  body  will  develop  and  grow 
to  the  full  stature  of  the  spirit;  and  the  resurrected  soul 
will  go  on  to  perfection.  So  I  had  the  statement  of  two  wit- 
nesses who  heard  this  doctrine  announced  by  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith,  the  source  of  intelligence. 

Eventually  I  was  in  conversation  with  Sister  M.  Isa- 
bella Home.  She  began  to  relate  to  me  the  circumtsance 
of  her  being  present  at  the  funeral  that  I  refer  to,  when 
Joseph  spoke  of  the  death  of  little  children,  their  resurrec- 
tion, as  little  children,  and  of  the  glory,  and  honor,  and 
joy,  and  happiness  the  mother  would  have  in  rearing  her 
little  children  in  the  resurrection  to  the  full  stature  of  their 
spirits.  "Well,"  she  said,  "I  heard  Joseph  say  that.  I  was 
at  that  funeral."  Sister  Isabella  Home  told  me  this. 

Then  I  said  to  her :  "Why  haven't  you  spoken  about 
it  before?  How  is  it  you  have  kept  it  to  yourself  all  these 
long  years?  Why  haven't  you  let  the  Church  know  some- 
thing about  this  declaration  of  the  Prophet?" 

She  replied :  "I  did  not  know  whether  it  was  my  duty 
to  do  so,  or  whether  it  would  be  proper  or  not." 

I  said:     "Who  else  was  there?" 

"My  husband  was  there." 

"Does  he  remember  it?" 

"Yes,  he  remembers  it." 

"Well,  will  you  and  Brother  Home  give  me  an  affidavit 
in  writing,  stating  the  fact,  and  let  it  be  sworn  to?" 

She  said,  "With  the  greatest  of  pleasure." 

So  I  have  the  testimony  in  affidavit  form  of  Brother 
and  Sister  Home,  in  addition  to  the  testimony  of  my  aunt, 
and  the  testimony  of  my  brother-in-law,  in  relation  to  the 
Prophet  Joseph's  remarks  at  that  funeral. 

Just  a  little  while  later,  to  my  joy  and  satisfaction,  the 
first  man  I  ever  heard  mention  it  in  public  was  Franklin  D. 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        577 

Richards  ;  and  when  he  spoke  of  it,  I  felt  in  my  soul:  the 
truth  has  come  out.  The  truth  will  prevail.  It  is  mighty, 
and  it  will  live;  for  there  is  no  power  that  can  destroy  it. 
Presidents  Woodruff  and  Cannon  approved  of  the  doctrine 
and  after  that  I  preached  it. 

It  is  a  good  thing  for  us  not  to  attempt  to  advance  new 
doctrine,  or  new  and  advanced  thought  in  relation  to  princi- 
ples and  doctrines  pertaining  to,  or  presumed  to  pertain  to, 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  without  weighing  it  carefully, 
with  the  experience  of  years,  before  you  attempt  to  make  a 
doctrinal  test  and  to  advance  it  to  the  people  of  the  Lord. 
There  is  so  much  simple  truth,  necessary  to  be  understood, 
that  has  been  revealed  to  us  in  the  gospel  that  it  is  extreme 
folly  in  us  to  attempt  to  go  beyond  the  truth  that  has  been 
revealed,  until  we  have  mastered  and  can  comprehend  the 
truth  that  we  have.  There  is  a  great  deal  within  our  reach 
that  we  have  not  yet  mastered. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  21, 
May,  1918,  pp.567-573. 

ADDRESS  AT  FUNERAL  SERVICES  OF  MARY  A.  FREEZE. 
There  does  -not  seem  to  be  much  left  to  be  said.  I  endorse 
heartily  and  fully  every  kindly  sentiment  that  I  have  heard 
expressed  here  this  afternoon  with  reference  to  our  departed 
sister.  I  have  known  her,  as  a  worker  in  the  Church,  for  a 
goodly  number  of  years,  and  have  had  the  pleasure  of  fre- 
quently meeting  her  in  the  various  capacities  in  which  she 
has  labored  in  the  Church,  and  in  every  instance  I  have  been 
more  and  more  impressed  with  the  pure  character  and  spirit 
of  the  woman.  There  was  a  calmness  about  her  appear- 
ance, her  conversation,  a.nd  her  conduct  that  seemed  to 
indicate  a  well-matured  character  and  a  well-established 
principle  of  life.  There  seems  nothing  I  have  ever  perceived 
in  her  that  appeared  flighty,  unsettled,  or  unstable,  but  in 
everything,  her  life  indicated  a  life  of  stability,  of  reliability 
and  fidelity  to  the  Lord  and  to  his  covenants. 

After  hearing  the  many  good  things  that  have  been  said 

38 


578  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

(yet,  as  Brother  Joseph  E.  Taylor  has  remarked,  "not  half 
has  been  told")  in  relation  to  the  good  life  and  labors  of  our 
dear  sister,  it  makes  my  mind  revert  to  the  blessed  hopes 
that  are  inspired  in  our  souls  by  and  through  our  faith  in  the 
gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ — the  hope  that  that  gospel 
inspires  in  our  souls  that  we  are  following  in  the  footsteps  of 
our  Redeemer  and  that  every  man  and  woman  following  in 
his  footsteps  will  become  like  him,  will  enjoy  the  blessed  priv- 
ileges which  he  enjoyed,  will  pass  through  the  varied  ordeals 
through  which  he  passed,  and  will  eventually  land  at  the  same 
goal  and  will  be  blessed  with  the  same  privileges,  and  power 
and  glory,  and  exaltation  that  he,  himself,  vindicated,  proved 
and  fulfilled  in  his  life  and  death  and  resurrection  from 
death  to  life  again.  I  cannot  conceive  of  any  more  desir- 
able thing  than  is  vouchsafed  to  us  in  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ — that  though  we  die,  yet  we  shall  live  again,  and 
though  we  die  and  dissolve  into  the  native  elements  of 
which  our  tabernacles  are  composed,  yet  these  elements 
will  again  be  restored  to  each  other  and  reorganized,  and 
we  will  become  again  living  souls  just  as  the  Savior  did 
before  us ;  and  his  having  done  so  has  made  it  possible  for 
all  the  rest  of  us.  What  can  there  be  more  joyous  to 
think  of  than  the  fact  that  Brother  Freeze,  who  loved  his 
wife  and  whom  she  loved,  to  whom  he  was  true  and  who 
was  true  to  him  all  her  days  of  association  with  him  as  wife 
and  mother,  will  have  the  privilege  of  coming  up  on  the 
morning  of  the  first  resurrection  clothed  writh  immortality 
and  eternal  life,  and  resume  the  relationship  that  existed 
between  them  in  this  life,  the  relationship  of  husband  and 
wife,  father  and  mother,  parents  of  their  children,  having 
laid  the  foundation  for  eternal  glory  and  eternal  exaltation 
in  the  kingdom  of  God!  Life  without  this  hope  would  seem 
to  me  in  vain.  And  yet  there  is  nothing  that  I  have  ever 
discovered  in  the  world,  except  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ, 
that  gives  this  assurance.  Nothing  has  ever  pointed  it  out 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        579 

in  a  tangible  way  except  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  Jesus 
Christ  has  laid  this  foundation,  has  taught  this  principle  and 
this  truth,  and  has  uttered  that  memorable  sentiment  that 
"He  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he 
live ;  and  whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in  me  shall  never 
die"  (John  11:25,26). 

Now,  to  me  this  explains  the  sentiment  expressed  by 
Brother  Joseph  E.  Taylor  when  he  said  he  did  not  feel  the 
presence  of  death  when  he  went  to  visit  her.  Do  you  feel 
the  presence  of  death  here?  He  did  not  feel  it  then.  Just 
prior  to  the  departure  of  her  spirit,  there  was  no  element 
of  death  there.  The  element  of  dissolution — the  separation 
of  the  spiritual  from  the  temporal,  of  the  immortal  from  the 
mortal  was  visible,  but  in  the  presence  of  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord,  and  with  the  hope  inspired  in  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of 
God,  that  "He  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead, 
yet  shall  he  live ;  and  whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in 
me  shall  never  die,"  and  in  the  knowledge  of  the  fact  that 
every  provision  the  Lord  has  given  by  which  we  may  be  pre- 
pared to  enjoy  the  fulness  of  these  blessings  has  been  ob- 
served and  entered  into,  believed  and  followed  by  this  good 
woman,  what  reason  could  there  be  under  such  circum- 
stances, for  thoughts  of  death?  It  was  not  death — but  a 
change  from  mortality  to  immortality,  from  death,  in  fact, 
to  life  everlasting. 

Now,  I  believe  that  if  ever  a  soul  in  the  world  is  en- 
titled to  the  enjoyment  or  realization  of  that  saying  of  the 
Son  of  God  this  good  woman  is  entitled  to  it ;  for  I  believe, 
according  to  her  knowledge,  she  was  true  to  every  principle 
by  which  she  might  fulfil  the  intent  of  it  and  by  which  she 
may  receive  the  verification  of  it  in  the  world  to  come. 

I  do  not  feel  that  it  would  be  proper  or  necessary  for 
me  to  occupy  very  much  time,  but  while  the  brethren  and 
sisters  were  speaking,  the  thought  naturally  passed  through 
my  mind — what  will  be  her  occupation  in  the  world  to  come  ? 


580  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

What  will  she  do  there?  We  are  told  that  she  will  not  be 
idle.  She  could  not  be  idle.  In  God's  plans,  there  is  no 
such  thing  as  idleness.  God  is  not  pleased  with  the  thought 
of  idleness.  He  is  not  idle,  and  there  is  no  such  thing  as 
inertia  in  the  providences  and  in  the  purposes  of  God.  We 
are  either  growing  and  advancing,  or  are  retrograding.  We 
are  not  stationary.  We  must  grow.  The  principles  of  ever- 
lasting growth  and  development  tend  to  glory,  to  exaltation, 
to  happiness,  and  to  a  fulness  of  joy.  What  has  she  been  do- 
ing? She  has  been  working  in  the  temple,  among  other 
things.  She  has  been  working,  also,  as  a  minister  of  life 
among  young  women  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Lat- 
ter-day Saints.  She  has  labored  diligently  and  earnestly  in 
trying  to  persuade  the  daughters  of  Zion  to  come  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth  as  she  possessed  it.  She  seemed  to  be 
thoroughly  established  in  it.  I  have  never  discovered  the 
least  symptom  of  any  dubiety  in  her  mind  in  reference  to 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  She  has  been  laboring  to  bring 
others  of  the  daughters  of  Zion  to  the  same  standard  of 
knowledge,  faith  and  understanding  of  the  principles  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ  that  she  herself  possessed,  a  ministering 
angel  and  a  mother  in  Israel,  seeking  the  salvation  of  other 
daughters  and  other  mothers  in  Israel.  What  can  you  con- 
ceive of  grander  than  a  calling  like  that?  Then,  as  I  said, 
she  has  been  at  work  in  the  temple.  What  for?  Adminis- 
tering ordinances  that  God  has  revealed  are  essential  to  the 
salvation  of  the  living  and  their  preparation  for  greater  ex- 
altation and  glory  here  and  hereafter,  and  also  for  the  re- 
demption of  the  dead.  What  can  you  think  of  greater  than 
this?  To  my  mind,  there  isn't  anything  so  great  and  so 
glorious  in  this  world  as  to  labor  for  the  salvation  of  the 
living  and  for  the  redemption  of  the  (!ead.  We  read  of  the 
Savior  going  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  spirits  in  prison, 
when  his  body  lay  in  the  tomb.  That  was  a  part  of 
the  great  mission  he  had  to  perform.  He  was  sent  not  only 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        581 

to  preach  the  gospel  to  those  dwelling  in  mortality,  but  he 
was  foreordained  and  anointed  of  God  to  open  the  doors  of 
the  prison  house  to  those  in  bondage  and  to  proclaim  his 
gospel  to  them. 

I  have  always  believed,  and  still  do  believe  with  all  my 
soul  that  such  men  as  Peter  and  James  and  the  twelve  disci- 
ples chosen  of  the  Savior  in  his  time,  have  boen  engaged  all 
the,  centuries  that  have  passed  since  their  martyrdom  for 
the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  proclaiming  liberty  to  the 
captives  in  the  spirit  world  and  in  opening  their  prison  doors. 
I  do  not  believe  that  they  could  be  employed  in  any  greater 
work.  Their  special  calling  and  anointing  of  the  Lord  him- 
self was  to  save  the  world,  to  proclaim  libeity  to  the  cap- 
tives, and  the  opening  of  the  prison  doors  to  those  who  were 
bound  in  chains  of  darkness,  superstition,  and  ignorance.  I 
believe  that  the  disciples  who  have  passed  away  in  this  dis- 
pensation— Joseph,  the  Prophet,  and  his  brother  Hyrum, 
and  Brigham  and  Heber,  and  Willard,  and  Daniel,  and  John, 
and  Wilford  and  all  the  rest  of  the  prophets  who  have  lived 
in  this  dispensation,  and  who  have  been  intimately  associated 
with  the  work  of  redemption  and  the  other  ordinances  of 
the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  in  this  world,  are  preaching 
that  same  gospel  that  they  lived  and  preached  here,  to  those 
who  are  in  darkness  in  the  spirit  world  and  who  had  not  the 
knowledge  before  they  went.  The  gospel  must  be  preached 
to  them.  We  are  not  perfect  without  them — they  cannot  be 
perfect  without  us. 

Now,  among  all  these  millions  of  spirits  that  have 
lived  in  the  earth  and  have  passed  away,  from  generation 
to  generation,  since  the  beginning  of  the  world,  without 
the  knowledge  of  the  gospel — among  them  you  may 
count  that  at  least  one-half  are  women.  Who  is  going  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  the  women  ?  Who  is  going  to  carry  the 
testimony  of  Jesus  Christ  to  the  hearts  of  the  women  who 
have  passed  away  without  a  knowledge  of  the  gospel  ?  Well, 


582  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

to  my  mind,  it  is  a  simple  thing.  These  good  sisters  who 
have  been  set  apart,  ordained  to  the  work,  called  to  it,  au- 
thorized by  the  authority  of  the  holy  priesthood  to  minister 
for  their  sex,  in  the  House  of  God  for  the  living  and  for  the 
dead,  will  be  fully  authorized  and  empowered  to  preach  the 
gospel  and  minister  to  the  women  while  the  elders  and 
prophets  are  preaching  it  to  the  men.  The  things  we  experi- 
ence here  are  typical  of  the  things  of  God,  and  the  life  be- 
yond us.  There  is  a  great  similarity  between  God's  purposes 
as  manifested  here  and  his  purposes  as  carried  out  in  his 
presence  and  kingdom.  Those  who  are  authorized  to 
preach  the  gospel  here  and  are  appointed  here  to  do  that 
work  will  not  be  idle  after  they  have  passed  away,  but  will 
continue  to  exercise  the  rights  that  they  obtained  here  under 
the  priesthood  of  the  Son  of  God  to  minister  for  the  salva- 
tion of  those  who  have  died  without  a  knowledge  of  the 
truth.  Some  of  you  will  understand  when  I  tell  you  that 
some  of  these  good  women  who  have  passed  beyond  have 
actually  been  anointed  queens  and  priestesses  unto  God  and 
unto  their  husbands,  to  continue  their  work  and  to  be  the 
mothers  of  spirits  in  the  world  to  come.  The  world  does  not 
understand  this — they  cannot  receive  it — they  do  not  know 
what  it  means,  and  it  is  sometimes  hard  for  those  who  ought 
to  be  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the  gospel — even 
for  some  of  us,  to  comprehend,  but  it  is  true. 

Now,  may  the  Lord  bless  Brother  Freeze.  As  Sister 
Martha  Tingey  has  said,  Sister  Freeez  could  never  have 
done  the  work  she  has  done  if  it  had  not  been  for  his  sec- 
onding her  in  her  efforts.  He  consented  to  her  partially 
neglecting  her  home  duties  in  order  to  labor  in  a  broader 
field  for  the  salvation  of  others.  But  just  here  let  me  say 
a  word  to  you  mothers.  Oh,  mothers,  salvation,  mercy,  life 
everlasting  begin  at  home.  "What  profiteth  it  a  man,  though 
he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul?"  What 
would  it  profit  me,  though  I  should  go  out  into  the  world  and 


INTERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        583 

win  strangers  to  the  fold  of  God  and  lose  my  own  children? 
Oh !  God,  let  me  not  lose  my  own.  I  can  not  afford  to  lose 
mine,  whom  God  has  given  to  me  and  whom  I  am  responsi- 
ble for  before  the  Lord,  and  who  are  dependent  upon  me 
for  guidance,  for  instruction,  for  proper  influence.  Father, 
do  not  permit  me  to  lose  interest  in  my  own,  in  trying  to 
save  others.  Charity  begins  at  home.  Life  everlasting 
should  begin  at  home.  I  should  feel  very  badly  to  be  made  to 
realize,  by  and  by,  that*  through  my  neglect  of  home, 
while  trying  to  save  others,  I  had  lost  my  own.  I  do  not 
want  that.  The  Lord  help  me  to  save  my  own,  so  far  as 
one  can  help  another.  I  realize  I  cannot  save  anybody,  but 
1  can  teach  them  how  to  be  saved.  I  can  set  an  example 
before  my  children  how  they  can  be  saved,  and  it  is  my  duty 
to  do  that  first.  I  owe  it  more  to  them  than  to  anybody  else 
in  the  world.  Then,  when  I  have  accomplished  the  work  I 
should  do  in  my  own  home  circle,  let  me  extend  my  power 
for  good  abroad  just  as  far  as  I  can. 

My  brethren  and  sisters,  I  know  as  I  know  I  live  that 
Joseph  Smith  was  and  is  and  ever  will  be  the  instrument 
chosen  of  God  the  eternal  Father  to  lay  the  foundation  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  and  to 
establish  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  earth,  never  more  to  be 
thrown  down.  I  bear  testimony  to  you.  I  know  as  I  know 
I  live  that  every  doctrine  that  he  taught  is  calculated  to 
build  up,  to  ennoble,  to  enlarge  the  soul,  to  establish  peace 
and  righteousness  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  men,  and 
lead  them  up  to  God,  and  not  away  from  him,  I  know  it  as 
I  know  I  live.  It  is  true,  and  I  thank  God  that,  like  my  dear 
sister  here,  whose  earthly  remains  only  now  are  with  us,  he 
has  made  me  to  believe  it  and  to  accept  of  it  without  re- 
course. I  believe  it  with  all  my  heart,  just  as  I  believe  I 
live,  and  as  I  believe  my  own  mother  and  father.  Let  us  all 
strive  for  this  belief,  and  if  we  will,  we  shall  have  joy  and 
satisfaction,  and  we  shall  enter  into  God's  rest,  right  here, 


584  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

in  this  world.  For  he  that  entereth  into  God's  rest  here 
will  never  more  be  disturbed  by  the  hallucinations  of  sin  and 
wickedness,  and  the  enemies  of  truth  will  have  no  power 
over  him. 

That  God  will  help  us  to  reach  that  point  is  my  prayer, 
and  may  the  blessings  of  the  Lord  attend  the  family  of  Sis- 
ter and  Brother  Freeze  and  their  children,  that  not  one  of 
them  will  ever  take  a  course  that  will  bring  sorrow  to  their 
beloved  and  sainted  mother.  That  has  been  one  of  the  stim- 
ulants of  my  life,  one  of  the  things  that  has  made  me  strive 
to  do  good.  I  would  not  grieve  my  blessed  mother,  if  I 
knew  it,  for  anything  in  the  world.  There  is  nothing  be- 
tween me  and  the  heavens  that  would  compensate  for  doing 
something  that  would  grieve  or  hurt  my  mother.  Why? 
Because  she  loved  me,  she  would  have  .died  for  me  over 
and  over  again,  if  such  were  possible,  only  to  have  saved  me. 
Why  shoudl  I  grieve,  why  should  I  disappoint  her?  Why 
should  I  take  a  course  contrary  to  her  own  life  and  her  life's 
teachings  to  me,  for  she  taught  me  honor,  and  virtue,  and 
truth,  and  integrity  to  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  she  taught 
me  not  only  by  precept  but  by  example.  I  would  not  grieve 
her  for  the  world.  Boys  and  girls,  do  not  do  anything  to 
grieve  your  mother.  You  know  she  was  a  Latter-day  Saint, 
you  know  she  was  true  to  her  convictions.  Be  as  true  as  she 
was,  and,  as  the  Lord  lives,  you  will  be  exalted  with  your 
mother,  and  will  have  a  fulness  of  joy,  which  may  God 
grant  is  my  prayer  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  Amen. — Young 
Woman's  journal,  Vol.  23,  1911,  pp.*  128-132. 

THE  RESURRECTION.  Now  I  am  going  to  take  the  lib- 
erty of  reading  a  little  scripture  to  you,  and  then,  as  I  go 
along,  express  my  belief  and  conviction  in  relation  to  what 
we  believe  as  Latter-day  Saints  with  reference  to  the  resur- 
rection from  the  dead.  I  shall  not  take  the  pains  or  time 
to  go  into  the  subject  in  detail,  for  there  are  a  great  many 
scriptures  that  can  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  subject, 


ETERN.  I!.  LIFE  <  IND  .V.  ILVATION        585 

scattered  through  the  New  Testament,  in  the  declaration  of 
the  Son  of  God ;  but  I  will  content  myself  by  reading  the 
description  of  his  resurrection.  We  all  know  that  he  was 
lifted  up  on  the  cross ;  that  he  was  pierced  in  the  side,  and 
that  his  life  blood  flowed  from  the  body;  and  that  he 
groaned  upon  the  cross  and  gave  up  the  spirit ;  that  his  body 
was  taken  from  the  cross,  embalmed  and  wrapped  in  clean 
linen  and  laid  in  a  new  sepulchre  wherein  the  body  of  no 
man  had  ever  been  laid.  And  then,  remembering  the  re- 
mark that  he  was  to  lay  down  his  body  and  take  it  up  again, 
the  claim  that  he  made  that  that  temple  was  to  be  destroyed 
but  that  it  would  be  raised  up  the  third  day,  that  he  was 
going  to  lay  down  his  life  and  take  it  up  again,  the  chief 
priests  went  to  the  chief  authorities  and  demanded  that  a 
great  stone  be  placed  at  the  mouth  of  the  supulchre  and 
that  a  seal  be  placed  upon  it,  and  that  also  a  guard  should  be 
placed  there,  lest  his  disciples  should  come  at  night  and  take 
away  the  body  and  impose  upon  the  public  the  claim  that  he 
had  risen  from  the  dead.  And  so  a  cordon  of  soldiers  were 
placed  to  guard  the  tomb,  and  a  great  stone  was  placed  at  the 
mouth  of  the  sepulchre,  and  a  seal  was  placed  upon  it  accord- 
ing to  the  history  given  in  the  scriptures  of  it,  so  that  it 
would  be  absolutely  impossible  for  the  disciples  of  Christ  to 
perpetrate  a  deception  upon  the  world  by  clandestinely 
stealing  and  taking  away  the  body  of  Chrisl  and  then  pro- 
claiming to  the  world  that  his  body  had  been  raised  from  the 
dead.  Sometimes  even  the  enemies  of  the  truth  and  those 
who  are  seeking  to  destroy  it  become  the  unwitting  means 
of  verifying  truth  and  of  putting  it  beyond  possibility  of  a 
doubt ;  for  if  they  had  not  taken  this  precaution  themselves, 
and  if  their  guard  had  not  been  placed  at  the  tomb  to  guard 
the  sepulchre  to  see  that  no  fraud  could  be  perpetrated,  then 
they  could  easily  have  gone  out  to  the  world  and  said,  "Why, 
his  disciples  came  and  took  the  body  away;  they  slipped 
in  and  stole  it  at  night."  But  they  closed  their  own  mouths 


586  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

in  a  vain  attempt  to  destroy  the  effects  of  the  resurrection 
from  the  dead  upon  the  mind  of  the  people  and  upon  the  his- 
tory of  the  world. 

Thomas,  one  of  the  twelve,  called  Didymus,  was  not 
with  them  when  Jesus  came,  after  his  resurrection.  "The 
other  disciples  therefore  said  unto  him,  we  have  seen  the 
Lord.  But  he  said  unto  them,  Ecxept  I  shall  see  in  his  hands 
the  print  of  the  nails,  and  put  my  finger  into  the  print  of  the 
nails,  and  thrust  my  hand  into  his  side,  I  will  not  believe" 
(John  20:25). 

We  have  a  great  many  Didymuses  in  our  day  and  gen- 
eration, but  we  hope  that  there  are  none  of  them  here,  but 
rather  the  other  class  Jesus  named. 

"And  after  eight  days  again  his  disciples  were  within, 
and  Thomas  with  them:  then  came  Jesus,  the  doors  being 
shut,  and  stood  in  the  midst,  and  said,  Peace  be  unto  you. 
Then  saith  he  to  Thomas,  Reach  hither  thy  finger,  and  be- 
hold my  hands;  and  reach  hither  thy  hand,  and  thrust  it 
into  my  side :  and  be  not  faithless,  but  believing.  And 
Thomas  answered  and  said  unto  him,  My  Lord  and  my 
God.  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Thomas,  because  thou  hast  seen 
me,  thou  hast  believed :  blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen, 
and  yet  have  believed"  (John  20:26-29). 

The  disciple  who  wrote  this,  the  beloved  disciple, 
the  personal  witness  himself,  he  who  ran  to  the  sepulchre 
and  who  outran  Peter  and  came  to  it  first,  and  looked 
into  it,  and  who  afterwards  went  into  it  after  Peter,  he 
who  has  written  these  words,  says  further:  "And  many 
other  signs  truly  did  Jesus  in  the  presence  of  his  disciples, 
which  are  not  written  in  this  book:  but  these  are  written, 
that  ye  might  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God ;  and  that  believing  ye  might  have  life  through  his 
name"  (John  20:30,31). 

Now  what  I  want  to  call  to  your  mind  is,  emphatically, 
the  undeniable  and  unequivocal  and  direct  description  of 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        587 

the  body,  the  resurrected  body  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
given  in  this  description  of  his  resurrection  and  appearance 
to  his  disciples,  which  dissipates  all  imagination  or  thought 
that  the  death  of  the  body  and  the  departure  of  the  spirit 
from  the  body  is  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  Does  it  not? 
Christ  is  the  Son  of  God,  and  his  disciples  bear  faithful 
record  of  the  truth  as  they  witnessed  it,  as  they  declare 
they  did  witness  it,  for  they  declare  that  they  sa\v  it  with 
their  eyes,  heard  it  with  their  ears,  were  pricked  in  their 
hearts,  and  they  examined  the  wounds  with  their  own  hands, 
to  see  and  feel  that  he  was  indeed  the  same  individual,  the 
same  person,  the  same  body  that  was  crucified,  bearing  the 
same  marks  that  were  inflicted  upon  the  body  while  it  was 
extended  upon  the  cross — all  this  must  go  to  show  to  you 
that  the  resurrection  of  Christ  was  the  resurrection  of  him- 
self, and  not  his  spirit.  Before  I  proceed  further,  there  is 
another  scripture  that  I  will  read  to  you,  from  the  24th 
chapter  of  Luke : 

"And,  behold,  two  of  them  went  the  same  clay  to  a  vil- 
lage called  Emmaus,  which  was  from  Jerusalem  about  three- 
score furlongs.  And  they  talked  together  of  all  these  things 
which  had  happened.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  while  they 
communed  together  and  reasoned,  Jesus  himself  drew  near, 
and  went  with  them.  But  their  eyes  were  holden  that  they 
should  not  know  him"  (Luke  24:14-16). 

And  he  journeyed  and  talked  with  them  on  the  way, 
and  unfolded  the  scriptures  unto  them,  but  they  did  not 
know  that  it  was  he.  They  did  not  personally  know  that  it 
was  Christ  resurrected. 

"And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  sat  at  meat  with  them,  he 
took  bread,  and  blessed  it,  and  brake,  and  gave  to  them." 
Now  this  is  not  the  testimony  of  John.  This  is  the  testi- 
mony of  Luke,  another  of  the  disciples  of  Christ. 

"And  their  eyes  were  opened,  and  they  knew  him ;  and 
he  vanished  out  of  their  sight.  And  they  suid  one  to  an- 


588  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

other,  Did  not  our  heart  burn  within  us,  while  he  talked 
with  us  by  the  way,  and  while  he  opened  to  us  the  scrip- 
tures? And  they  rose  up  the  same  hour,  and  returned  to 
Jerusalem,  and  found  the  eleven  gathered  together,  and 
them  that  were  with  them,  saying,  The  Lord  is  risen  indeed, 
and  hath  appeared  to  Simon.  And  they  told  what  things 
were  done  in  the  way,  and  how  he  was  known  of  them  in 
breaking  of  bread.  And  as  they  thus  spake,  Jesus  himself 
stood  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  saith  unto  them,  Peace  be 
unto  you.  But  they  were  terrified  and  affrighted,  and  sup- 
posed that  they  had  seen  a  spirit.  And  he  said  unto  them, 
Why  are  ye  troubled?  and  why  do  thoughts  arise  in  your 
hearts?  Behold  my  hands  and  my  feet,  thai  it  is  I  myself: 
handle  me,  and  see;  for  a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones,  as 
ye  see  me  have.  And  when  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  shewed 
them  his  hands  and  his  feet.  And  while  they  yet  believed 
not  for  joy,  and  wondered,  he  said  unto  them,  Have  ye  here 
any  meat?  And  they  gave  him  a  piece  of  a  broiled  fish,  and 
of  an  honey  comb.  And  he  took  it,  and  did  eat  before  them. 
And  he  said  unto  them,  these  are  the  words  which  I  spake 
unto  you,  while  I  was  yet  with  you,  that  all  things  must  be 
fulfilled,  which  were  written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  and  in  the 
prophets,  and  in  the  Psalms,  concerning  me"  (Luke  24: 
30-44). 

Now  shall  we  accept  the  scriptural  definition  of  the  res- 
urrection of  the  body?  Shall  we  accept  Christ's  manifesta- 
tion in  his  own  person  resurrected  from  the  dead?  Or  shall 
we  take  the  Rev.  Mr.  Phillips'  opinion  of  it,  that  the  death 
of  the  body  and  the  separation  of  the  spirit  from  it  is  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead?  Which  do  you  choose? 

Joseph  the  Prophet  declared  in  the  Book  of  Doctrine 
and  Covenants  (sec.  130:22)  that  the  Father  has  a  body  of 
flesh  and  bones  as  tangible  as  man's,  and  the  Son  of  God  has 
a  body  of  flesh  and  bones,  as  he  himself  has  declared  that 
he  has,  and  is  not  a  mere  spirit,  but  is  a  risen  being,  a  res- 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        589 

urrected  soul.  And  the  Holy  Ghost  is  d  personage  of  spirit, 
but  not  a  personage  of  bones  and  flesh,  as  are  the  Father 
and  the  Son.  Consequently,  the  Holy  Spirit,  or  the  Holy 
Ghost,  may  be  conferred  upon  men,  and  he  may  dwell  with 
them  for  a  while,  or  he  may  continue  to  dwell  with  them  in 
accordance  with  their  worthiness  and  he  may  depart  from 
them  at  his  will. 

Now  I  am  going  to  read  a  little  from  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, a  book  of  scripture  that  was  translated  by  the  gift  and 
power  of  God,  for  the  voice  of  God  declared  to  the  three  wit- 
nesses that  it  had  been  translated  by  the  gift  and  power  of 
God  and  that  it  was  true.  The  three  witnesses  declared  and 
testified  to  its  truth  and  other  eight  witnesses  besides  the 
Prophet  Joseph,  declared  that  they  beheld  the  plates  and 
handled  them,  and  saw  the  engravings  on  them,  and  that 
they  do  know  that  Joseph  Smith  did  have  the  plates  from 
which  the  Book  of  Mormon  was  translated.  And  it  is  one 
of  the  greatest  puzzles  to  scientists  that  they  are  discover- 
ing in  the  path  of  the  ancient  civilization  of  this  continent 
evidences  and  proofs  of  the  divinity  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, that  they  cannot  dispute  or  gainsay.  And  their  won- 
der is,  how  Joseph  Smith,  a  man  unlearned  in  history,  in 
theology,  in  science,  a  man  without  book  learning,  prac- 
tically could  ever  so  closely  hit  upon  facts  that  are  now  be- 
ing discovered  by  explorers  and  scientists  throughout  this 
historical  country  that  the  Book  of  Mormon  covers,  and 
they  say  it  is  perplexing  to  them.  It  is  astonishing  to  them 
that  three  men  could  testify,  as  the  three  witnesses  to  the 
Book  of  Mormon  have  testified,  and  that  the  other  eight 
witnesses  could  testify  as  they  have  done,  and  yet  not  one 
of  them  ever  repudiate  his  testimony.  They  cannot  under- 
stand and  they  cannot  account  for  it  upon  any  scientific 
principle.  If  it  was  a  fraud,  and  these  men  were  deceived 
or  led  into  a  trap,  and  did  it  by  sophistry  or  with  a  purpose 
of  deceiving  the  world,  surely  some  one  or  more  of  them 


590  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

would  have  risen  to  the  truth  before  they  died  and  have 
divulged  the  fraud.  But  no,  not  one  of  them  did.  They 
apostatized  from  Joseph,  but  they  did  not  deny  the  divinity 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  They  remained  faithful  and  true 
to  their  testimony  to  that.  True,  they  declared  that  Joseph 
Smith  had  gone  astray,  that  the  Church  had  gone  astray, 
just  like  all  other  apostates  have  declared.  You  never  saw 
apostates  anywhere  who  would  admit  that  they  were  wrong ; 
but  they  always  claim  that  they  are  right,  and  the  Church 
is  wrong.  So  it  was  with  Oliver  Cowdery  until  he  repented 
and  returned  to  the  Church. 

So  it  was  with  David  Whitmer  until  the  day  of  his 
death.  He  believed  that  Joseph  had  been  led  astray,  first, 
into  receiving  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood  as  well  as  the 
Aaronic  priesthood.  That  he  received  the  Aaronic  priest- 
hood and  was  ordained  under  the  hand  of  John  the  Baptist 
he  admitted  and  believed,  but  he  denied  any  ordination  un- 
der the  hands  of  Peter,  James  and  John  to  the  Melchizedek 
priesthood,  and  consequently  he  went  to  work  and  organ- 
ized a  church  and  a  presidency  after  the  order  of  the  Aaronic 
priesthood.  But  never,  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  did  he 
deny  his  testimony  as  one  of  the  three  witnesses,  and  in  his 
dying  words  he  declared  that  his  testimony  contained  in  this 
book  is  true. 

So  did  Oliver  Cowdery.  He  came  back  into  the  Church 
after  saying  many  bad  things  and  after  wandering  about 
for  a  while,  and  confessed  his  follies  and  his  wrong,  and 
claimed  that  if  he  could  only  be  permitted  to  come  back  a 
lay  member  in  the  Church  it  would  be  all  that  he  could  ask, 
or  would  ask  for.  He  felt  that  he  was  unworthy  of  anything 
better  or  greater,  and  he  was  permitted  to  come  back  and  be 
baptized. 

Martin  Harris  also  came  back  and  was  baptized  into  the 
Church,  and  died  with  his  testimony  on  his  lips,  for  not  one 
of  them  ever  repudiated  his  testimony. 


ETERNAL  \Al:E  t  IND  SALl  'ATION        591 

Furthermore,  not  one  of  the  eight  witnesses  ever  did 
either.  Neither  did  the  Prophet  Joseph.  So,  here  you  have 
a  record,  the  witnesses  of  which  remain  unimpeached  and 
whose  integrity  no  power  beneath  the  kingdom  of  God  can 
impeach,  for  they  told  the  truth,  and  they  abode  in  the 
truth  which  they  told  until  they  died  in  the  flesh. 

Now,  one  of  the  ancient  disciples  or  prophets  who  lived 
upon  this  continent,  who  was  inspired  of  God  and  who  de- 
livered this  message  to  the  world  afterwards  that  was  en- 
graven upon  plates  of  gold,  and  preserved  and  handed  down 
and  revealed  in  this  dispensation  of  the  world,  has  some- 
thing precious  to  say  upon  this  subject.  This  is  not  from 
Jerusalem.  This  is  not  a  message  that  was  delivered  to  the 
disciples  of  Christ  in  Jerusalem ;  but  this  is  a  message  that 
was  delivered  by  a  prophet  who  lived  upon  this  continent; 
and  here  are  his  words : 

"And  he  shall  come  into  the  world  to  redeem  his  people ; 
[for  this  was  before  the  coming  of  Christ  to  redeem  his  peo- 
ple] and  he  shall  take  upon  him  the  transgressions  of  those 
who  believe  on  his  name ;  and  these  are  they  that  shall  have 
eternal  life,  and  salvation  cometh  to  none  else." 

Now  let  me  say  here:  "He  shall  come  into  the  world, 
and  he  shall  take  upon  him  the  transgressions  of  those  who 
believe  on  his  name." 

And  those  who  believe  will  do  the  works  that  he  com- 
mands. No  man  that  will  believe  in  truth  will  ever  refuse 
to  do  what  is  required.  And  these  are  they  that  believe, 
that  shall  have  eternal  life,  and  salvation  cometh  to  none 
else. 

"Therefore,  the  wicked  remain  as  though  there  had  been 
no  redemption  made,  except  it  be  the  loosing  of  the  bands 
of  death ;  for  behold,  the  day  cometh  that  all  shall  rise  from 
the  dead  and  stand  before  God,  and  be  judged  according  to 
their  works.  Now,  there  is  a  death  which  is  called  a  tem- 
poral death:  and  the  death  of  Christ  shall  loose  the  bands 


59 J  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

of  this  temporal  death,  that  all  shall  be  raised  from  this  tem- 
poral death ;  the  spirit  and  the  body  shall  be  reunited  again 
in  its  perfect  form;  both  limb  and  joint  shall  be  restored  to 
its  proper  frame,  even  as  we  now  are  at  this  time;  and  we 
shall  be  brought  to  stand  before  God,  knowing  even  as  we 
know  now,  and  have  a  bright  recollection  of  all  our  guilt. 
Now  this  restoration  shall  come  to  all,  both  old  and  young, 
both  bond  and  free,  both  male  and  female,  both  the  wicked 
and  the  righteous ;  and  even  there  shall  not  so  much  as  a  hair 
of  their  heads  be  lost;  but  all  things  shall  be  restored  to 
its  perfect  frame,  as  it  is  now,  or  in  the  body,  and  shall  be 
brought  and  be  arraigned  before  the  bar  of  Christ  the  Son, 
and  God  the  Father,  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  is  one 
eternal  God,  to  be  judged  according  to  their  works,  whether 
they  be  good  or  whether  they  be  evil.  Now,  behold,  I  have 
spoken  unto  you  concerning  the  death  of  the  mortal  body, 
and  also  concerning  the  resurrection  of  the  mortal  body. 
[Xot  the  resurrection  of  the  spirit,  but  the  resurrection  of 
the  mortal  body.]  I  say  unto  you  that  this  mortal  body  is 
raised  to  an  immortal  body ;  that  is  from  death ;  even  from 
the  first  death  unto  life,  that  they  can  die  no  more;  their 
spirits  uniting  with  their  bodies,  never  to  be  divided ;  thus 
the  whole  becoming  spiritual  and  immortal,  that  they  can 
no  more  see  corruption"  (Alma  11  :40-45). 

Now  that  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Latter-day  Saints.  That 
is  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ,  and,  as  he  is  the  first 
fruits  of  the  resurrection  from  the  dead,  as  he  was  raised'  up, 
so  will  he  raise  up  all  the  children  of  his  Father  upon  whom 
the  curse  of  Adam  came.  For  as  by  one  man  came  tem- 
poral death  upon  all  men,  so  by  the  righteousness  of  Christ 
all  shall  come  to  life,  through  the  resurrection  from  the  dead 
upon  all  men,  whether  they  be  good  or  whether  they  be 
evil,  whether  they  be  black  or  white,  bond  or  free,  learned 
or  unlearned,  or  whether  they  be  young  or  old,  it  matters 
not.  The  death  that  came  by  the  fall  of  our  first  parents  is 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        593 

eradicated  by  the  resurrection  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  you 
and  I  cannot  help  it. — Journal  of  Discourses,  October  26, 
1867. 

WORK  FOR  THE  DEAD.  The  work  for  our  dead,  which 
the  Prophet  Joseph  laid  upon  us  with  more  than  ordinary 
injunction,  instructing  us  that  we  should  look  after  those 
of  our  kinsfolk,  and  our  ancestors  who  have  died  without 
the  knowledge  of  the  gospel,  should  not  be  neglected.  We 
should  avail  ourselves  of  those  sacred  and  potent  ordin- 
ances of  the  gospel  which  have  been  revealed  as  essential  to 
the  happiness,  salvation  and  redemption  of  those  who  have 
lived  in  this  world  when  they  could  not  learn  the  gospel 
and  have  died  without  the  knowledge  of  it,  and  are  now 
waiting  for  us,  their  children,  who  are  living  in  an  age  when 
these  ordinances  can  be  performed,  to  do  the  work  neces- 
sary for  their  release  from  the  prison-house.  Through  our 
efforts  in  their  behalf  their  chains  of  bondage  will  fall  from 
them,  and  the  darkness  surrounding  them  will  clear  away, 
that  light  may  shine  upon  them  and  they  shall  hear  in  the 
spirit  world  of  the  work  that  has  been  done  for  them  by 
their  children  here,  and  will  rejoice  with  you  in  your  per- 
formance of  these  duties. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1916,  p.  6. 

TEMPLE  ORDINANCES  UNCHANGED.  We  are  engaged 
in  temple  work.  We  have  built  four  temples  in  this  land, 
and  we  built  two  temples  in  the  eastern  country  before  we 
came  here.  During  the  lifetime  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith 
one  of  the  two  was  built  and  dedicated,  and  the  foundation 
of  the  other  was  laid  and  the  walls  had  well  progressed  when 
he  was  martyred.  It  was  finished  by  the  efforts  of  the  peo- 
ple under  the  most  trying  circumstances,  and  in  poverty, 
and  was  dedicated  unto  the  Lord.  The  ordinances  of  the 
house  of  God  were  administered  therein  as  they  had  been 
taught  to  the  leading  authorities  of  the  Church  by  the 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith  himself.  The  same  gospel,  the  same 
ordinances,  the  same  authority  and  blessings,  that  were  acl- 

39 


594  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

ministered  by  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  and  taught  by  him 
to  his  associates  are  now  being  enjoyed  by  and  taught  to  the 
Latter-day  Saints  in  the  four  temples  that  have  been  built 
in  these  valleys  of  the  mountains.  When  you  hear  anybody 
say  that  we  have  changed  the  ordinances,  that  we  have 
transgressed  the  laws,  or  have  br.oken  the  everlasting  cove- 
nants which  were  entered  into  under  the  personal  adminis- 
tration of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  tell  them  for  me,  tell 
them  for  President  Snow,  for  President  Cannon,  and  for  all 
those  who  are  living  today  who  received  blessings  and 
ordinances  under  the  hands  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith, 
that  they  are  in  error.  The  same  gospel  prevails  today,  and 
the  same  ordinances  are  administered  today,  both  for  the 
living  and  for  the  dead,  as  were  administered  by  the  Prophet 
himself,  and  delivered  by  him  to  the  Church. — Oct.  C.  R., 
U)CO,  pp.  46,  47. 

CARK  AND  XKKD  OF  TKMPLES.  We  feel  that  an  effort 
should  be  made  to  preserve  the  temples  of  God,  those 
houses  that  have  been  erected  for  the  purpose  of  adminis- 
tering the  ordinances  of  the  gospel  therein,  tor  the  living 
and  the  dead.  We  desire  that  these  buildings  shall  be  pre- 
served and  kept  in  repair  and  in  a  wholesome  condition,  so 
that  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  may  dwell  in  them,  and  that 
those  who  minister  therein,  may  feel  the  presence  and  influ- 
ence of  his  Spirit.  We  also  feel  that  when  the  time  shall 
come  and  our  hands  shall  be  free  from  the  obligations  that 
now  rest  upon  us,  other  places  should  be  prepared  for  the 
convenience  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  in  more  distant  stakes, 
in  order  that  those  who  are  living  at  great  distances  from 
the  center  may  have  the  privilege  of  receiving  the  ordinances 
of  the  gospel  without  being  put  to  the  great  expense  and  loss 
of  time  that  is  necessary  now  in  journeying  from  500  to 
1000  miles  in  order  to  reach  the  houses  of  God.  We  hope 
to  see  the  day  when  we  shall  have  temples  built  in  the  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  land  where  they  are  needed  for  the  con- 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALIVATION        595 

venience  of  the  people ;  for  we  realize  that  one  of  the  great- 
est responsibilities  that  rests  upon  the  people  of  God  today  is 
that  their  hearts  shall  be  turned  unto  their  fathers,  and  that 
they  shall  do  the  work  that  is  necessary  to  be  done  for  them 
in  order  that  they  may  be  joined  together  fitly  in  the  bond 
of  the  New  and  Everlasting  Covenant  from  generation  to 
generation.  For  the  Lord  has  said,  through  the  Prophet, 
that  this  is  one  of  the  greatest  responsibilities  devolving  upon 
us  in  this  latter  day.— Oct.  C.  R.f  1902,  pp.  2,  3. 

PREACHING  THE  GOSPEL  IN  THE  SPIRIT  WORLD.  Never 
has  there  been  a  name  brought  to  the  intelligence  of  the 
human  race  since  the  foundations  of  the  world  that  has  cost 
so  much,  that  has  accomplished  so  much,  that  has  been  re- 
vered and  honored  so  much  as  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ, 
once  so  hated  and  persecuted,  and  once  crucified.  The  day 
will  come,  and  it  is  not  far  distant  either,  when  the  name 
of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  will  be  coupled  with  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth,  the  Son  of  God,  as  his  repre- 
sentative, as  his  agent  whom  he  chose,  ordained  and  set 
apart  to  lay  anew  the  foundations  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  possessing  all  the  powers  of  the  gospel,  all  the  rites 
and  privileges,  the  authority  of  the  holy  priesthood,  and  every 
principle  necessary  to  fit  and  qualify  both  the  living  and  the 
dead  to  inherit  eternal  life  and  to  attain  to  exaltation  in  the 
kingdom  of  God.  The  day  will  come  when  you  and  I  will 
not  be  the  only  ones  who  will  believe  this,  by  a  great  deal, 
but  there  will  be  millions  living  and  dead  who  will  proclaim 
this  truth.  This  gospel  revealed  to  the  Prophet  Joseph  is 
already  being  preached  to  the  spirits  in  prison,  to  those  who 
have  passed  away  from  this  stage  of  action  into  the  spirit 
world  without. the  knowledge  of  the  gospel.  Joseph  Smith 
is  preaching  that  gospel  to  them.  So  is  Hyrum  Smith.  So 
is  Brigham  Young,  and  so  are  all  the  faithful  apostles  that 
lived  in  this  dispensation  under  the  administration  of  the 
Prophet  Joseph.  They  are  there,  having  carried  with  them 


596  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

from  here  the  holy  priesthood  that  they  received  under 
authority,  and  which  was  conferred  upon  them  in  the 
flesh ;  they  are  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  spirits  in  prison, 
for  Christ,  when  his  body  lay  in  the  tomb,  went  to  pro- 
claim liberty  to  the  captives  and  opened  the  prison  doors  to 
them  that  were  bound.  Not  only  are  these  engaged  in  that 
work,  but  hundreds  and  thousands  of  others :  the  elders  that 
have  died  in  the  mission  field  have  not  finished  their  mis- 
sions, but  they  are  continuing  them  in  the  spirit  world. 
Possibly  the  Lord  saw  it  necessary  or  proper  to  call  them 
hence  as  he  did.  I  am  not  going  to  question  that  thought, 
at  least,  nor  dispute  it.  I  leave  it  in  the  hand  of  God,  for 
I  believe  that  all  these  things  will  be  overruled  for  good, 
for  the  Lord  will  suffer  nothing  to  go  to  his  people  in  the 
world  that  he  will  not  overrule  eventually  for  their  greater 
good. — M.  I.  A.  Conference,  June  5,  1910;Fo?m»  Woman's 
Journal,  Vol.  21,  pp.  456-460. 

VISION  OF  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  THE  DEAD.  On  the 
third  of  October,  in  the  year  nineteen  hundred  and  eighteen, 
I  sat  in  my  room  pondering  over  the  Scriptures  and  reflect- 
ing upon  the  great  atoning  sacrifice  that  was  made  by  the 
Son  of  God  for  the  redemption  of  the  world,  and  the  great 
and  wronderful  love  made  manifest  by  the  Father  and  the 
Son  in  the  coming  of  the  Redeemer  into  the  world,  that 
through  his  Atonement  and  by  obedience  to  the  principles 
of  the  gospel,  mankind  might  be  saved. 

While  I  was  thus  engaged,  my  mind  reverted  to  the 
writings  of  the  Apostle  Peter  to  the  primitive  saints  scattered 
abroad  throughout  Pontus,  Galatia,  Cappadocia,  and  other 
parts  of  Asia  where  the  gospel  had  been  preached  after  the 
crucifixion  of  the  Lord.  I  opened  the  Bible  and  read  the 
third  and  fourth  chapters  of  the  first  epistle  of  Peter,  and 
as  I  read  I  was  greatly  impressed,  more  than  I  had  ever 
been  before,  with  the  following  passages : 

"For  Christ  also  hath  once  suffered  for  sins,  the  just 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        597 

for  the  unjust,  that  he  might  bring  us  to  God,  being  put  to 
death  in  the  flesh,  but  quickened  by  the  Spirit : 

"By  which  also  he  went  and  preached  unto  the  spirits 
in  prison ; 

"Which  sometime  were  disobedient,  when  once  the  long- 
suffering  of  God  waited  in  the  days  of  Noah,  while  the  ark 
was  a  preparing,  wherein  few,  that  is,  eight  souls  were  saved 
by  water"  (I  Peter  3:18-20). 

"For  for  this  cause  was  the  gospel  preached  also  to 
them  that  are  dead,  that  they  might  be  judged  according  to 
men  in  the  flesh,  but  live  according  to  God  in  the  spirit" 
(I  Peter  4:6). 

As  I  pondered  over  these  things  which  are  written,  the 
eyes  of  my  understanding  were  opened,  and  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  rested  upon  me,  and  I  saw  the  hosts  of  the  dead,  both 
small  and  great.  And  there  were  gathered  together  in  one 
place  an  innumerable  company  of  the  spirits  of  the  just, 
who  had  been  faithful  in  the  testimony  of  Jesus  while  they 
lived  in  mortality,  and  who  had  offered  sacrifice  in  the  sim- 
ilitude of  the  great  sacrifice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  had  suf- 
fered tribulation  in  their  Redeemer's  name.  All  these  had 
departed  the  mortal  life,  firm  in  the  hope  of  a  glorious  res- 
urrection, through  the  grace  of  God  the  Father  and  his 
Only  Begotten  Son,  Jesus  Christ. 

I  beheld  that  they  were  filled  with  joy  and  gladness,  and 
were  rejoicing  together  because  the  day  of  their  deliverance 
was  at  hand.  They  were  assembled  awaiting  the  advent  of 
the  Son  of  God  into  the  spirit  world,  to  declare  their  re- 
demption from  the  bands  of  death.  Their  sleeping  dust  was 
to  be  restored  unto  its  perfect  frame,  bone  to  his  bone,  and 
the  sinews  and  the  flesh  upon  them,  the  spirit  and  the  body 
to  be  united  never  again  to  be  divided,  that  they  might  re- 
ceive a  fulness  of  joy. 

While  this  vast  multitude  waited  and  conversed,  re- 
joicing in  the  hour  of  their  deliverance  from  the  chains  of 


598  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

death,  the  Son  of  God  appeared,  declaring  liberty  to  the 
captives  who  had  been  faithful,  and  there  he  preached  to 
them  the  everlasting  gospel,  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection 
and  the  redemption  of  mankind  from  the  fall,  and  from 
individual  sins  on  conditions  of  repentance.  But  unto  the 
wicked  he  did  not  go,  and  among  the  ungodly  and  the  unre- 
pentant who  had  defiled  themselves  while  in  the  flesh,  his 
voice  was  not  raised,  neither  did  the  rebellious  who  rejected 
the  testimonies  and  the  warnings  of  the  ancient  prophets 
behold  his  presence,  nor  look  upon  his  face.  Where  these 
were,  darkness  reigned,  but  among  the  righteous  there  was 
peace,  and  the  saints  rejoiced  in  their  redemption,  and 
bowed  the  knee  and  acknowledged  the  Son  of  God  as  their 
Redeemer  and  Deliverer  from  death  and  the  chains  of  hell. 
Their  countenances  shone  and  the  radiance  from  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Lord  rested  upon  them  and  they  sang  praises 
unto  his  holy  Name. 

I  marveled,  for  I  understood  that  the  Savior  spent  about 
three  years  in  his  ministry  among  the  Jews  and  those  of  the 
house  of  Israel,  endeavoring  to  teach  them  the  everlasting 
gospel  and  call  them  unto  repentance ;  and  yet,  '  notwith- 
standing his  mighty  works  and  miracles  and  proclamation  of 
the  truth  in  great  power  and  authority,  there  were  but  few 
who  barkened  to  his  voice  and  rejoiced  in  his  presence  and 
received  salvation  at  his  hands.  But  his  ministry  among 
those  who  were  dead  was  limited  to  the  brief  time  interven- 
ing between  the  crucifixion  and  his  resurrection ;  and  I  won- 
dered at  the  words  of  Peter  wherein  he  said  that  the  Son 
of  God  preached  unto  the  spirits  in  prison  who  sometime 
were  disobedient,  when  once  the  longsuffering  of  God  waited 
in  the  days  of  Noah,  and  how  it  was  possible  for  him  to 
preach  to  those  spirits  and  perform  the  necessary  labor 
among  them  in  so  short  a  time. 

And  as  I  wondered,  my  eyes  were  opened,  and  my  un- 
derstanding quickened,  and  I  perceived  that  the  Lord  went 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        599 

not  in  person  among  the  wicked  and  the  disobedient  who 
had  rejected  the  truth,  to  teach  them;  but  behold,  from 
among  the  righteous  he  organized  his  forces  and  appointed 
messengers,  clothed  with  power  and  authority,  and  coin- 
missioned  them  to  go  forth  and  carry  the  light  of  the  gospel 
to  them  that  were  in  darkness,  even  to  all  the  spirits  of 
men.  And  thus  was  the  gospel  preached  to  the  dead.  And 
the  chosen  messengers  went  forth  to  declare  the  acceptable 
day  of  the  Lord,  and  proclaim  liberty  to  the  captives  who 
were  bound ;  even  unto  all  who  would  repent  of  their  sins 
and  receive  the  gospel.  Thus  was  the  gospel  preached  to 
those  who  had  died  in  their  sins,  without  a  knowledge  of 
the  truth,  or  in  transgression,  having  rejected  the  prophets. 
These  were  taught  faith  in  God,  repentance  from  sin, 
vicarious  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins,  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of  hands,  and  all  other  princi- 
ples of  the  gospel  that  were  necessary  for  them  to  know 
in  order  to  qualify  themselves  that  they  might  be  judged 
according  to  men  in  the  flesh,  but  live  according  to  God  in 
the  spirit. 

And  so  it  was  made  known  among  the  dead,  both  small 
and  great,  the  unrighteous  as  well  as  the  faithful,  that  re- 
demption had  been  wrought  through  the  sacrifice  of  the  Son 
of  God  upon  the  cross.  Thus  was  it  made  known  that  our 
Redeemer  spent  his  time  during  his  sojourn  in  the  world  of 
spirits,  instructing  and  preparing  the  faithful  spirits  of  the 
prophets  who  had  testified  of  him  in  the  flesh,  that  they 
might  carry  the  message  of  redemption  unto  all  the  dead 
unto  whom  %  he  could  not  go  personally  because  of  their  re- 
bellion and  transgression,  that  they  through  the  ministra- 
tion of  his  servants  might  also  hear  his  words. 

Among  the  great  and  mighty  ones  who  were  assem- 
bled in  this  vast  congregation  of  the  righteous,  were  Father 
Adam,  the  Ancient  of  Days  and  father  of  all,  and  our  glo- 
rious Mother  Eve,  with  many  of  her  faithful  daughters  who 


600  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

had  lived  through  the  ages  and  worshiped  the  true  and  liv- 
ing God.  Abel,  the  first  martyr,  was  there,  and  his  brother 
Seth,  one  of  the  mighty  ones,  who  was  in  the  express  image 
of  his  father  Adam.  Noah,  who  gave  warning  of  the  flood; 
Shem,  the  great  High  Priest ;  Abraham,  the  father  of  the 
faithful ;  Isaac,  Jacob,  and  Moses,  the  great  law-giver  of 
Israel,  who  declared  by  prophecy  that  the  Redeemer  was 
anointed  to  bind  up  the  broken  hearted,  to  proclaim  liberty 
to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of  the  prison  to  them  that 
were  bound,  were  also  there. 

Moreover,  Ezekiel,  who  was  shown  in  vision  the  great 
valley  of  dry  bones  which  were  to  be  clothed  upon  with 
flesh  to  come  forth  again  in  the  resurrection  of  the  dead, 
living  souls ;  Daniel,  who  foresaw  and  foretold  the  establish- 
ment of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  latter  days,  never  again 
to  be  destroyed  nor  given  to  other  people ;  Elias,  who  was 
with  Moses  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  and  Malachi, 
the  prophet  who  testified  of  the  coming  of  Elijah — of  whom 
also  Moroni  spake  to  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith — declaring 
that  he  should  come  before  the  ushering  in  of  the  great  and 
dreadful  day  of  the  Lord,  were  also  there.  The  Prophet 
Elijah  was  to  plant  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  the  promises 
made  to  their  fathers,  foreshadowing  the  great  work  to  be 
done  in  the  temples  of  the  Lord  in  the  Dispensation  of  the 
Fulness  of  Times,  for  the  redemption  of  the  dead  and  the 
sealing  of  the  children  to  their  parents,  lest  the  whole  earth 
be  smitten  with  a  curse  and  utterly  wasted  at  his  coming. 

All  these  and  many  more,  even  the  prophets  who  dwelt 
among  the  Nephites  and  testified  of  the  coming  of  the  Son  of 
God,  mingled  in  the  vast  assembly  and  waited  for  their  de- 
liverance, for  the  dead  had  looked  upon  the  long  absence  of 
their  spirits  from  their  bodies  as  a  bondage.  These  the  Lord 
taught,  and  gave  them  power  to  come  forth,  after  his  resur- 
rection from  the  dead,  to  enter  into  his  Father's  kingdom, 
there  to  be  crowned  with  immortality  and  eternal  life,  and 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        601 

continue  thenceforth  their  labors  as  had  been  promised  by 
the  Lord,  and  be  partakers  of  all  blessings  which  were  held 
in  reserve  for  them  that  love  him. 

The  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  and  my  father,  Hyrum 
Smith,  Brigham  Young,  John  Taylor,  Wilford  Woodruff, 
and  other  choice  spirits  who  were  reserved  to  come  forth 
in  the  fulness  of  times  to  take  part  in  laying  the  foundations 
of  the  great  Latter-day  work,  including  the  building  of  the 
temples  and  the  performance  of  ordinances  therein  for  the 
redemption  of  the  dead,  were  also  in  the  spirit  world.  I  ob- 
served that  they  were  also  among  the  noble  and  great  ones 
who  were  chosen  in  the  beginning  to  be  rulers  in  the  Church 
of  God.  Even  before  they  were  born,  they,  with  many  oth- 
ers, received  their  first  lessons  in  the  world  of  spirits,  and 
were  prepared  to  come  forth  in  the  due  time  of  the  Lord  to 
labor  in  his  vineyard  for  the  salvation  of  the  souls  of  men. 

I  beheld  that  the  faithful  elders  of  this  dispensation, 
when  they  depart  from  mortal  life,  continue  their  labors  in 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel  of  repentance  and  redemption, 
through  the  sacrifice  of  the  Only  Begotten  Son  of  God, 
among  those  who  are  in  darkness  and  under  the  bondage  of 
sin  in  the  great  wrorld  of  the  spirits  of  the  dead.  The  dead 
who  repent  will  be  redeemed,  through  obedience  to  the  or- 
dinances of  the  house  of  God,  and  after  thty  have  paid  the 
penalty  of  their  transgressions,  and  are  washed  clean,  shall 
receive  a  reward  according  to  their  works,  for  they  are 
heirs  of  salvation. 

Thus  was  the  vision  of  the  redemption  of  the  dead  re- 
vealed to  me,  and  I  bear  record,  and  I  know  that  this  record 
is  true,  through  the  blessing  of  our  Lord  and  Savior,  Jesus 
Christ,  even  so.  Amen. — Joseph  F.  Smith. 

This  Vision  of  the  Redemption  of  the  Dead  was  sub- 
mitted, October  31,  1918,  to  the  Counselors  in  the  First 
Presidency,  the  Council  of  the  Twelve  and  the  Patriarch, 


602  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

and  by  them  unanimously  accepted. — Improvement  Era, 
Vol.  22,  December,  1918,  pp.  166-170. 

MODERATION  IN  BURIAL  DISPLAYS.  A  good  friend 
who  is  often  called  upon  to  attend  to  the  proprieties  on  be- 
half of  the  dead,  calls  attention  in  a  letter  to  the  indulgence 
of  extravagance  in  the  laying  away  of  our  departed  friends 
and  relatives.  She  believes  that  the  Lord  is  not  pleased  with 
the  profusion  of  flowers,  the  expensive  dress,  and  even  with 
the  ornaments  of  gold  in  the  form  of  rings  and  other  jew- 
elry used  in  decorating  the  dead. 

We  certainly  recommend  moderation  and  wisdom  in  the 
use  of  flowers,  the  hire  of  carriages,  and  the  purchase  of 
caskets.  In  the  old  scriptures  we  have  numerous  examples 
of  simplicity  in  burials.  While  we  are  not  called  upon  liter- 
ally to  follow  these,  they  should  be  a  lesson  to  us  to  avoid 
ostentations,  and  to  attend  to  these  matters  with  only  such 
displays  and  preparations  as  will  show  due  respect  for  the 
departed,  and  proper  consideration  for  the  living. 

Relating  to  dress,  the  Latter-day  Saints  burial  clothes 
are  all  sufficient  for  our  day.  Anything  more  is  unneces- 
sary, which  good,  common  sense  would  clearly  suggest ; 
while  the  burial  of  jewelry  with  the  dead  can  serve  no  good 
purpose.  It  savors  of  vanity,  and  might  prove  a  temptation 
to  grave  robbers, — a  naturally  horrible  thought.  In  like 
manner  with  carriages  and  caskets,  only  the  necessary  and 
modest  should  be  used. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  12,  Decem- 
ber, 1908,  p.  145. 

WHO  CANNOT  BE  REACHED  BY  THE  GOSPEL.  And  he  that 
believes,  is  baptized,  and  receives  the  light  and  testimony  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  walks  well  for  a  season,  receiving  the  ful- 
ness of  the  blessings  of  the  gospel  in  this  world,  and  after- 
wards turns  wholly  unto  sin,  violating  his  covenants,  he  will 
be  among  those  whom  the  gospel  can  never  reach  in  the 
spirit  world ;  and  all  such  go  beyond  its  saving  power,  they 
will  taste  the  second  death,  and  be  banished  from  the  pres- 


ETERNAL  LIFE  AND  SALVATION        603 

ence  of  God  eternally.— Oct.  C.  R.,  Deseret  Weekly  News, 
Vol.  24,  1875,  p.  708. 

PRINCIPLE  OF  BAPTISM  FOR  THE  DEAD.  Here  will  come 
in  the  principles  of  baptism  for  the  dead,  and  of  proxy  and 
heirships,  as  revealed  through  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith, 
that  they  may  receive  a  salvation  and  an  exaltation,  I  will 
not  say  a  fulness  of  blessing  and  glory,  but  a  reward  ac- 
cording to  their  merits  and  the  righteousness  and  mercy  of 
God,  even  as  it  will  be  with  you  and  with  me.  But  there  is 
this  difference  between  us  and  the  antediluvians — they  re- 
jected the  gospel,  consequently  they  receivd  not  the  truth 
nor  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ ;  therefore  they  did  not  sin 
against  a  fulness  of  light,  while  we  have  received  the  ful- 
ness of  the  gospel;  are  admitted  to  the  testimony  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  living  and  true  God,  whose 
will  it  is  also  our  privilege  to  know,  that  we  may  do  it.  Now 
if  we  sin,  we  sin  against  the  light  and  knowledge,  and  per- 
adventure  we  may  become  guilty  of  the  blood  of  }esus 
Christ,  for  which  sin  there  is  no  forgiveness,  neitner  in 
this  world  nor  in  the  world  to  come. — Oct.  C.  R.,  Deseret 
Weekly  News,  Vol.  24,  1875,  p.  708. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
Joseph  Smith,  the  Prophet. 

THE  REALITY  OF  JOSEPH'S  VISION.  Our  critics  say 
it  was  an  apparition  that  the  Prophet  Joseph  saw,  but  he  did 
not  say  so.  He  said  the  personages  who  appeared  to  him 
were  real  men,  and  there  is  nothing  more  improbable  in  his 
statement  than  in  the  recital  in  the  Bible  of  the  conception 
and  birth  of  Christ,  and  of  John  the  Baptist.  To  us  has 
come  the  account  of  the  birth,  life  and  work  of  Christ,  and 
there  is  nothing  in  the  narrative  to  cause  us  to  believe  it  more 
readily  than  that  story  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith.  Christ 
walked  and  talked  and  counseled  with  his  friends  when  he 
came  down  from  heaven  over  1900  years  ago.  Is  there 
any  reason  why  he  could  not  come  again,  why  he  should  not 
visit  this  earth  once  more  and  talk  with  men  today?  If 
there  is  I  should  be  glad  to  hear  it. 

The  thing  I  want  to  impress  upon  you  is  that  God  is 
real,  a  creature  of  flesh  and  bones  the  same  as  you  are  and  I 
am.  Christ  is  the  same,  but  the  Holy  Ghost  is  a  creature  of 
spirit. 

If  Joseph  Smith's  teachings  were  untrue,  then  those  of 
the  Great  Nazarene  fall  to  the  ground,  for  they  are  one  and 
the  same.  You  can't  philosophize  the  truths  of  the  gospel 
away,  nor  explain  them  by  saying  the  prophet  was  a  vic- 
tim of  apparitions,  for  they  are  real,  tangible  facts  behind 
which  stand  a  great  mass  of  proof  as  good  as  has  ever  been 
offered  to  substantiate  any  statement.  It  is  a  comfort,  a 
blessing,  a  delight  to  me,  and  I  pray  that  it  may  ever  be  so 
to  you. — Logan  Journal,  March  14',  1911. 

SERVICE  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH.  Our  faith  in  Jesus  Christ 
lies  at  the  foundation  of  our  religion,  the  foundation  of  our 
hope  for  remission  of  sins,  and  for  exaltation  after  death, 


JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET          605 

and  for  the  resurrection  from  death  to  everlasting  life.  Our 
faith  in  the  doctrines  that  have  been  restored  through  the 
instrumentality  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  confirms  and 
strengthens  us  and  establishes  beyond  a  question  or  doubt, 
our  faith  and  belief  in  the  divine  mission  of  the  Son  of  God. 
Joseph  Smith  was  the  instrument  chosen  of  God  and  en- 
dowed with  his  authority  to  restore  the  holy  priesthood,  the 
power  of  God  to  bind  on  earth  and  in  heaven, — the  power 
of  the  priesthood  by  which  men  may  perform  ordinances  of 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  salvation  of  mankind. 
Through  Joseph  Smith  the  gospel  of  repentance,  baptism  in 
water  for  the  remission  of  sins,  the  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  by  fire,  have  been  restored,  and  the  knowledge  that 
Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Only  Begotten  Son  of  God,  is  made 
manifest  through  the  Spirit  of  truth.  We  are  obligated 
to  this  humble  servant  that  the  Lord  chose  to  lay  the  foun- 
dation of  this  work  for  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel  of  the 
Son  of  God,  then  and  still  unknown  to  the  world,  by  which 
we  may  become  united  together  as  families,  as  kindreds,  un- 
der the  bonds  of  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant,  for 
time  and  for  all  eternity.  We  are  obligated  to  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith,  as  an  instrument  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord, 
for  the  knowledge  that  we  possess  of  the  work  which  is 
necessary  to  be  done  in  the  house  of  God,  for  the  salvation 
of  the  living  and  the  redemption  of  the  dead,  and  for  the 
eternal  union  of  souls  who  are  united  in  this  life  by  the 
power  of  God,  under  the  bond  of  the  everlasting  covenant. 
We  are  indebted,  or  obligated  at  least,  to  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith  as  the  instrument  in  the  hands  of  God,  for  the  knowl- 
edge we  now  possess  that  a  man  cannot  be  exalted  into  the 
presence  of  God  and  the  full  enjoyment  of  his  glory,  alone. 
It  was  not  designed  for  the  man  to  be  alone,  for  the  man  is 
not  without  the  woman,  neither  the  woman  without  the 
man,  in  the  Lord— Oct.  C.  R.,  1916,  p.  3. 

JOSEPH    SMITH'S   NAME   WILL   NEVER   PERISH.     God 


606  .       GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

lives,  and  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Savior  of  the  world.  Joseph 
Smith  is  a  prophet  of  God — living,  not  dead ;  for  his  name 
will  never  perish.  The  angel  that  visited  him  and  declared 
God's  message  unto  him,  told  him  that  his  name  should  be 
held  for  good  and  for  evil  throughout  the  world.  This 
prediction  was  made  in  the  days  of  his  youth,  before  the 
Church  was  organized,  and  before  there  was  any  prospect  of 
that  which  has  since  been  accomplished.  The  declaration 
was  made,  notwithstanding  it  then  seemed  an  absolute  im- 
possibility ;  but  from  the  day  it  was  spoken  until  this  mo- 
ment, and  from  now  on  until  the  winding-up  scene,  the 
name  of  Joseph  Smith,  the  prophet  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, has  been,  is  being,  and  will  be  heralded  abroad  to  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  and  will  be  held  in  honor  or  contempt 
by  the  people  of  the  world.  But  the  honor  in  which  it  is 
now  held  by  a  few  will  by  and  by  be  increased  that  his 
name  shall  be  held  in  reverence  and  honor  among  the  chil- 
dren of  men  as  universally  as  the  name  of  the  Son  of  God  is 
held  today ;  for  he  did  and  is  doing  the  work  of  the  Master. 
He  laid  the  foundations  in  this  dispensation  for  the  restora- 
tion of  the  principles  that  were  taught  by  the  Son  of  God, 
who  for  these  principles  lived,  and  taught,  and  died,  and 
rose  from  the  dead.  Therefore  I  say,  as  the  name  of  the 
Son  of  God  shall  be  held  in  reverence  and  honor,  and  in  the 
faith  and  love  of  men,  so  will  the  name  of  Joseph  Smith 
eventually  be  held  among  the  children  of  men,  gaining 
prestige,  increasing  in  honor,  and  commanding  respect  and 
reverence,  until  the  world  shall  say  that  he  was  a  servant  and 
Prophet  of  God.  The  Lord  God  Omnipotent  reigneth. 
Peace  on  earth,  good  will  to  man,  is  the  proclamation  that 
Joseph  the  Prophet  made,  and  that  is  the  same  as  his  Mas- 
ter, the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  made,  to  the  world.  That  is 
the  mission  we  are  trying  to  fulfil,  and  the  proclamation  we 
are  seeking  to  make  to  the  world  today.  It  is  the  mission 
that  these  young  men  have  been  chosen  to  proclaim,  and  be 


JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET         607 

witnesses  of  to  the  nations  of  the  earth.  It  is  their  duty 
to  see  to  it  that  this  proclamation  and  this  gospel  of  peace 
and  good  will  shall  be  sent  to  every  nation,  and  kindred,  and 
tongue,  and  people,  under  the  whole  heavens.  God  bless 
Israel,  is  my  earnest  prayer  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  Amen.— 
Oct.  C.  R.,  1907,  pp.  125-6. 

THE  PROPHET  JOSEPH  SMITH.  Brother  Woodruff,  in 
the  course  of  his  remarks,  made  the  assertion  that  Joseph 
Smith  was  the  greatest  prophet  that  has  ever  lived,  of  whom 
we  have  any  knowledge,  save  and  except  Jesus  Christ  him- 
self. The  world  would  say  that  he  was  an  imposter;  and 
the  Lord  said  that  his  name  should  be  had  for  good  and  for 
evil  among  all  the  nations  of  the  earth ;  and  this  much,  at 
least,  so  far  as  his  name  has  become  known,  has  been  ful- 
filled. This  prediction  was  made  through  the  Prophet  Jo- 
seph Smith  himself,  when  he  was  an  obscure  youth,  and 
when  there  was  but  little  prospect  of  his  name  ever  becoming 
known  beyond  the  village  where  he  lived.  It  was  at  an 
early  period  of  his  life,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  work 
that  this  prophecy  or  revelation  was  given,  and  it  has  been 
truly  verified.  Today  there  is  not  another  man,  perhaps, 
who  has  figured  in  religion,  whose  name  is  so  wide-spread 
among  the  nations,  as  that  of  Joseph  Smith.  In  connection 
with  the  work  of  which  he  was  the  instrument  in  the  hands 
of  God  of  laying  the  foundation,  his  name  is  spoken  of  in 
nearly  every  civilized  nation  upon  the  globe,  for  good  or  for 
evil.  Where  it  is  spoken  of  for  good,  it  is  by  those  who 
have  had  the  privilege  of  hearing  the  gospel  which  has  come 
to  the  earth  through  him,  and  who  have  been  sufficiently 
honest  and  humble  to  receive  the  same.  They  speak  of  him 
with  a  knowledge  which  they  have  received  by  the  inspira- 
tion of  the  Holy  Spirit,  through  obedience  to  the  principles 
which  he  taught,  as  a  prophet  and  as  an  inspired  man.  They 
speak  to  his  praise,  to  his  honor,  and  they  hold  his  name  in 
honorable  remembrance.  They  revere  him,  and  they  love 


608  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

him,  as  they  love  no  other  man,  because  they  know  he  was 
the  chosen  instrument  in  the  hands  of  the  Almighty  in  re- 
stoiing  the  gospel  of  life  and  salvation  unto  them,  of  opening 
their  understandings  of  the  future,  of  lifting  the  ve:l  of 
eternity,  as  it  were,  from  before  their  eyes.  Those  who 
have  received  the  principles  which  he  promulgated  know 
they  pertain  not  only  to  their  own  salvation,  happiness  and 
peace,  spiritual  and  temporal,  but  to  the  welfare,  happiness, 
salvation  and  exaltation  of  their  kindred  who  have  died 
without  a  knowledge  of  the  truth. 

The  work  in  which  Joseph  Smith  was  engaged  was  not 
confined  to  this  life  alone,  but  it  pertains  as  well  to  the  life 
to  come,  and  to  the  life  that  has  been.  In  other  words,  it 
relates  to  those  who  have  lived  upon  the  earth,  to  those  who 
are  living,  and  to  those  who  shall  come  after  us.  It  is  not 
something  which  relates  to  man  only  while  he  tabernacles 
in  the  flesh,  but  to  the  whole  human  family  from  eternity 
to  eternity.  Consequently,  as  I  have  said,  Joseph  Smith  is 
held  in  reverence,  his  name  is  honored ;  tens  of  thousands 
of  people  thank  God  in  their  heart,  and  from  the  depths  of 
their  souls,  for  the  knowledge  the  Lord  has  restored  to  the 
earth  through  him,  and  therefore  they  speak  well  of  him 
and  bear  testimony  of  his  worth.  And  this  is  not  confined  to 
a  village,  nor  to  a  state,  nor  to  a  nation,  but  extends  to 
every  nation,  kindred,  tongue  and  people  where  the  gospel, 
up  to  the  present,  has  been  preached — in  America,  Great 
Britain,  Europe,  Africa,  Australia,  New  Zealand  and  upon 
the  islands  of  the  sea.  And  the  Book  of  Mormon,  which 
Joseph  Smith  was  the  instrument  in  the  hands  of  God  of 
bringing  forth  to  this  generation,  has  been  translated  into 
the  German,  French,  Danish,  Swedish,  Welsh,  Hawaiian, 
Hindustani,  Spanish,  and  Dutch  languages,  and  this  book 
will  be  translated  into  other  languages,  for  according  to 
the  predictions  it  contains,  and  according  to  the  promises 
of  the  Lord  through  Joseph  Smith,  it  is  to  be  sent  unto 


JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET         609 

every  nation,  and  kindred,  and  people  under  the  whole 
heavens,  until  all  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Adam  shall 
have  the  privilege  of  hearing  the  gospel  as  it  has  been  re- 
stored to  the  earth  in  the  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of 
times. 

The  world  presume  that  we  have  not  received  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth.  Those  who  are  in  ignorance  in  regard 
to  the  character,  life,  and  labors  of  Joseph  Smith,  who 
have  never  read  his  revelations  or  studied  or  investigated 
his  claims  to  divine  authority,  and  are  ignorant  of  his  mis- 
sion, revile  him,  sneer  at  his  name,  and  ridicule  his  claims 
to  prophetic  inspiration,  and  call  him  an  impostor  in  his 
day,  except  by  a  few  who  hearkened  to  his  instruction,  and 
believed  his  testimony.  The  great  majority  of  mankind 
then  living  who  knew  of  Christ,  deemed  him  an  impostor, 
and  considered  him  worthy  to  be  put  to  death ;  precisely  the 
same  feeling  existed  towards  Joseph  Smith. 
*  *  *  * 

Let  us  return  to  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith.  He  was 
accused  of  nearly  everything  that  was  vile,  by  his  enemies, 
who,  as  is  well  known  by  the  Latter-day  Saints,  were  gen- 
erally entirely  ignorant  of  his  true  character  and  mission. 
What  did  Joseph  Smith  do?  Was  human  blood  found  upon 
his  hands  ?  No,  verily  no.  He  was  innocent.  Was  he  a 
slanderer  and  vilifier?  No,  verily,  he  was  not.  Did  he 
wrongfully  and  unjustly  accuse  men  of  wickedness?  No,  he 
did  not.  Did  he  institute  an  order  of  things  that  has  proved 
injurious  to  the  human  family?  Let  the  people  who  have 
become  acquainted  with  his  doctrines,  and  with  the  institu- 
tions which  he  established  upon  the  earth,  and  his  own  life's 
labor,  answer. 

He  was  born  December  23,  1805,  in  the  state  of  Ver- 
mont. His  parents  were  American  citizens,  as  had  been 
their  ancestors  for  generations.  In  the  spring  of  1820,  he 
received  the  first  supernatural  or  heavenly  manifestation. 

40 


610  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

He  was  then  fourteen  years  of  age.  Ordinarily  we  do  not 
expect  a  very  great  deal  from  a  boy  who  is  only  fourteen 
years  of  age,  and  it  is  not  likely  that  a  boy  of  that  tender  age 
could  have  become  very  vicious  or  wicked,  especially  when  he 
was  born  and  reared  on  a  farm,  apart  from  the  corrupting 
vices  of  great  cities,  and  free  from  contact  with  the  debasing 
influence  of  vile  associations.  It  is  not  likely  that  he  spent 
many  idle  moments  during  the  working  years  of  his  life,  up 
to  fourteen  years  of  age ;  for  his  father  had  to  labor  for  his 
living  and  earn  it  from  the  soil  by  the  labor  of  his  hands, 
being  a  poor  man  with  a  large  family  to  support. 

In  1820,  as  I  have  said,  Joseph  Smith  received  a  rev- 
elation in  which  he  claimed  that  God  had  declared  that  he 
was  about  to  restore  the  ancient  gospel  in  its  purity,  and 
many  other  glorious  things.  In  consequence  of  this,  Joseph 
Smith  became  very  notorious  in  the  neighborhood  where 
he  resided,  and  people  began  to  regard  him  with  a  great 
deal  of  suspicion.  He  was  at  once  called  an  impostor,  and 
a  few  years  later  he  was  styled  by  his  enemies,  "old'  Joe 
Smith."  His  fame  became  known  throughout  the  United 
States.  He  was  called  a  "money  digger,"  and  many  other 
contemptuous  things.  If  you  will  look  at  his  history,  and 
at  the  character  of  his  parents,  and  surroundings,  and  con- 
sider the  object  of  his  life,  you  can  discover  how  much 
consistency  there  was  in  the  charges  brought  against  him. 
All  this  was  done  to  injure  him.  He  was  neither  old  nor 
a  "money  digger,"  nor  an  impostor,  nor  in  any  manner  de- 
serving of  the  epithets  which  they  applied  to  him.  He  had 
never  injured  anybody,  nor  robbed  anybody, — he  never 
did  anything  for  which  he  could  be  punished  by  the  laws 
under  which  he  lived. 

\Yhen  he  was  between  17  and  18  years  of  age,  he  re- 
ceived another  heavenly  manifestation,  and  some  great  and 
glorious  things  were  revealed  to  him,  and  for  four  years 
subsequently  he  received  visits  from  a  heavenly  messenger. 


JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET         611 

He  did  not  claim  he  was  in  communication  with  wicked 
men  or  demons  from  the  lower  regions.  He  claimed  he  was 
in  communication  with  Moroni,  one  of  the  ancient  prophets 
who  lived  upon  this  continent.  He  was  a  good  man  when 
he  lived  here,  and  it  is  not  likely  that  he  had  become  wicked 
since  he  went  away.  This  personage,  he  claimed,  revealed 
to  him  the  mind  and  will  of  the  Lord,  and  showed  him  the 
character  of  the  great  work  that  he,  in  the  hands  of  God, 
was  to  be  instrumental  in  establishing  in  the  earth  when  the 
time  should  come.  This  was  the  labor  that  was  performed 
by  the  angel  Moroni,  during  the  four  years  intervening  be- 
tween 1823  and  1827.  In  1827  he  received  from  the  hands 
of  the  angel  Moroni,  the  gold  plates  from  which  this  book 
(Book  of  Mormon)  was  translated  by  him  through  the 
inspiration  of  the  Almighty,  and  the  gift  and  power  of  God 
unto  him.  I  heard  it  read  when  I  was  a  child.  I  have  read 
it  many  times  since,  and  I  have  asked  myself,  scores  of 
times,  have  you  ever  discovered  one  precept,  doctrine,  or 
command,  within  the  lids  of  that  book,  that  is  calculated  to 
injure  anybody,  to  do  harm  to  the  world,  or  that  is  in  con- 
tradiction to  the  word  of  God  as  contained  in  the  Bible? 
And  the  answer  invariably  came,  No,  not  one  solitary  thing ; 
every  precept,  doctrine,  word  of  advice,  prophecy,  and 
indeed  every  word  contained  within  the  lids  of  that  book 
relating  to  the  great  plan  of  human  redemption  and  salva- 
tion is  calculated  to  make  bad  men  good  and  good  men 
better. 

Did  Joseph  Smith  during  the  three  years  intervening 
between  1827  and  1830,  while  he  was  laboring  with  his  hands 
for  a  scanty  subsistence,  dodging  his  enemies,  and  trying 
to  evade  the  grasp  of  those  who  sought  to  destroy  him  and 
prevent  the  accomplishment  of  his  mission,  struggling  all  the 
while  against  untold  obstacles  and  depressing  embarrass- 
ments to  complete  the  translation  of  this  book,  have  much 


612  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

chance  of  becoming'  wicked  or  corrupt?  I  do  not  think  he 
had.  When  he  had  finished  translating  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon he  was  still  only  a  boy,  yet  in  producing  this  book  he 
developed  historical  facts,  prophecies,  revelations,  pre- 
dictions, testimonies  and  doctrines,  precepts  and  principles 
that  are  beyond  the  power  and  wisdom  of  the  learned  world 
to  duplicate  or  refute.  Joseph  Smith  was  an  unlearned 
youth,  so  far  as  the  learning  of  the  world  is  concerned. 
He  was  taught  by  the  angel  Moroni.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation from  above,  from  God  Almighty,  and  not  from  man- 
made  institutions ;  but  to  charge  him  with  being  ignorant 
would  be  both  unjust  and  false ;  no  man  or  combination  of 
men  possessed  greater  intelligence  than  he,  nor  could  the 
combined  wisdom  and  cunning  of  the  age  produce  an 
equivalent  for  what  he  did,  He  was  not  ignorant,  for  he  was 
taught  by  Him  from  whom  all  intelligence  flows.  He  pos- 
sessed a  knowledge  of  God  and  of  his  law,  and  of  eter- 
nity, and  mankind  have  been  trying,  with  all  their  learning, 
wisdom  and  power — and  not  content  with  that,  they  have 
tried  with  the  sword  and  cannon  to  extirpate  from  the 
earth  the  superstructure  which  Joseph  Smith,  by  the  power 
of  God,  erected  ;  but  they  have  signally  failed,  and  will  yet 
be  overwhelmed  by  their  efforts  to  destroy  it. 

Again,  the  world  say  that  Joseph  Smith  was  an  indolent 
person.  The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
was  organized  April  6,  1830.  Joseph  Smith  was  martyred 
in  Carthage,  Illinois,  on  the  27th  day  of  June,  1844 — four- 
teen years  after  the  organization  of  the  Church.  What  did 
he  accomplish  in  these  fourteen  years?  He  opened  up  com- 
munication with  the  heavens  in  his  youth.  He  brought  forth 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  which  contains  the  fulness  of  the 
gospel;  and  the  revelations  contained  in  the  Book  of  Doc- 
trine and  Covenants ;  restored  the  holy  priesthood  unto  man ; 
established  and  organized  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Lat- 
ter-day Saints,  an  organization  which  has  no  parallel  in  all 


JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET         613 

the  world,  and  which  all  the  cunning  and  wisdom  of  men  for 
ages  has  failed  to  discover  or  produce  and  never  could  have 
done.  He  founded  colonies  in  the  states  of  New  York,  Ohio, 
Missouri  and  Illinois,  and  pointed  the  way  for  the  gathering 
of  the  Saints  into  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  sent  the  gospel  into 
Europe  and  to  the  islands  of  the  sea;  founded  the  town  of 
Kirtlancl,  Ohio,  and  there  built  a  temple  that  cost  scores 
of  thousands  of  dollars ;  he  founded  the  city  of  Nau- 
voo  in  the  midst  of  persecution;  gathered  into  Nauvoo  and 
vicinity  some  20,000  people,  and  commenced  the  building  of 
the  temple  there,  which  when  completed  cost  one  million 
dollars ;  and  in  doing  all  this  he  had  to  contend  against  the 
prejudices  of  the  age,  against  relentless  persecution,  mob- 
ocracy,  and  vile  calumny  and  slander,  that  were  heaped  upon 
him  from  all  quarters  without  stint  or  measure.  In  a  word, 
he  did  more  in  from  fourteen  to  twenty  years  for  the  salva- 
tion of  man  than  any  other  man  save  Jesus  only,  who  ever 
lived,  and  yet  he  was  accused  by  his  enemies  of  being  an 
indolent  and  worthless  man ! 

Where  shall  we  go  to  find  another  man  who  has  accom- 
plished a  one-thousandth  part  of  the  good  that  Joseph  Smith 
accomplished  ?  Shall  we  go  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Beecher,  or  Tal- 
mage,  or  any  other  of  the  great  preachers  of  the  day  ?  What 
have  they  done  for  the  world,  with  all  their  boasted  intelli- 
gence, influence,  wealth,  and  the  popular  voice  of  the  world 
in  their  favor !  Joseph  Smith  had  none  of  their  advantages, 
if  these  are  advantages.  And  yet,  no  man  in  the  nineteenth 
century,  except  Joseph  Smith,  has  discovered  to  the  world  a 
ray  of  light  upon  the  keys  and  power  of  the  holy  priesthood, 
or  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel,  either  for  the  living  or  the 
dead.  Through  Joseph  Smith,  God  has  revealed  many  things 
which  were  kept  hidden  from  the  foundation  of  the  world  in 
fulfilment  of  the  prophets — and  at  no  time  since  Enoch 
walked  the  earth  has  the  Church  of  God  been  organized  as 
perfectly  as  it  is  today,  not  excepting  the  dispensation  of 


614  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

Jesus  and  his  disciples, — or,  if  it  was,  we  have  no  record  of 
it.  And  this  is  strictly  in  keeping  with  the  objects  and  char- 
acter of  this  great  latter-day  work,  destined  to  consummate 
the  great  purpose  and  designs  of  God  concerning  the  dispen- 
sation of  the  fulness  of  times. 

The  principle  of  baptism  for  the  redemption  of  the 
dead,  with  the  ordinances  appertaining  thereto,  for  the  com- 
plete salvation  and  exaltation  of  those  who  have  died  with- 
out the  gospel,  as  revealed  through  Joseph  Smith,  is  alone 
worth  more  than  all  the  dogmas  of  the  so-called  Christian 
world  combined. 

Joseph  Smith  is  accused  of  being  a  false  prophet.  It  is, 
however,  beyond  the  power  of  the  world  to  prove  that  he  was 
a  false  prophet.  They  may  so  charge  him,  but  you  who  have 
received  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ,  by  the  spirit  of  proph- 
ecy, through  his  administrations,  are  my  witnesses  that  they 
have  not  the  power  to  prove  him  false,  and  that  is  why  they 
are  so  vexed  about  it.  In  my  humble  opinion  many  of  our 
enemies  know  that  they  lie  before  God,  angels  and  men,  when 
they  make  this  charge,  and  they  would  only  be  too  glad  to 
produce  proof  to  sustain  their  accusations,  but  they  cannot. 
Jpseph  Smith  was  a  true  prophet  of  God.  He  lived  and  died 
a  true  prophet,  and  his  words  and  works  will  yet  demon- 
strate the  divinity  of  his  mission  to  millions  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  this  globe.  Perhaps  not  so  many  that  are  now  liv- 
ing, for  they  have  in  a  great  measure  rejected  the  gospel, 
and  the  testimony  which  the  elders  of  this  Church  have 
borne  to  them ;  but  their  children  after  them,  and  generations 
to  come,  will  receive  with  delight  the  name  of  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith,  and  the  gospel  which  their  fathers  rejected. 
Amen. — Discourse  delivered  in  Assembly  Hall,  Salt  Lake 
City,  Oct.  29,  1882.  Journal  of  Discourses,  Vol.  24,  1884, 
pp.  8-16. 

PREDICTION  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH  FULFILLED.  As  the  time 
remaining  is  so  short,  I  think  I  could  not  do  better  than  de- 


JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET'        615 

vote  it  to  continuing  the  subject  dwelt  upon  by  Brother  Can- 
non. 

The  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  as  well  as  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  contains  indisputable  evidence  of  the  divine  calling 
and  mission  of  Joseph  Smith.  For  instance,  I  will  refer  the 
congregation  to  the  revelation  given  December  25,  1832, 
in  relation  to  the  great  war  of  the  Rebellion,  with  which  all 
are  more  or  less  familiar  (Doc.  and  Cov.  87).  A  portion  of 
that  revelation  has  been  literally  fulfilled,  even  to  the  very 
place  indicated  in  the  prediction  where  the  war  should  com- 
mence ;  which,  as  was  therein  stated,  was  to  terminate  in 
the  death  and  misery  of  many  souls. 

Again,  in  the  revelation  given  in  March,  1831,  to  Parley 
P.  Pratt  and  Lemon  Copley,  the  following  remarkable  pre- 
diction is  found: 

"But  before  the  great  day  of  the  Lord  shall  come,  Jacob 
shall  flourish  in  the  wilderness,  and  the  Lamanites  shall  blos- 
som as  the  rose.  Zion  shall  flourish  upon  the  hills  and  re- 
joice upon  the  mountains,  and  shall  be  assembled  together 
unto  the  place  which  I  have  appointed"  (Doc.  and  Cov. 
49:24,25). 

Who,  let  me  ask,  unless  he  was  inspired  of  the  Lord, 
speaking  by  the  gift  and  power  of  God,  at  that  remote  period 
of  the  Church's  history,  when  our  numbers  were  few,  when 
we  had  no  influence,  name  or  standing  in  the  world — who, 
I  would  ask,  under  the  circumstances  in  which  we  were 
placed  when  this  prediction  was  made,  could  have  uttered 
such  words  unless  God  inspired  him?  Zion  is,  indeed,  flour- 
ishing on  the  hills,  and  is  rejoicing  on  the  mountains,  and 
we  who  compose  it  are  gathering  and  assembling  together 
unto  the  place  appointed.  I  now  ask  this  congregation  if 
they  cannot  see  that  this  prediction  (which  was  made  many 
years  before  the  idea  prevailed  at  all  among  this  people  that 
we  should  ever  migrate  and  gather  out  to  these  mountain 
valleys)  has  been  and  is  being  literally  fulfilled?  If  there 


616         .  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

were  no  other  prophecy  uttered  by  Joseph  Smith,  fulfilment 
of  which  could  be  pointed  to,  this  alone  would  be  sufficient  to 
entitle  him  to  the  claim  of  being  a  true  prophet. 

Again,  in  the  revelation  given  February,  1834,  this  re- 
markable promise  and  prophecy  is  found : 

"Verily  I  say  unto  you,  I  have  decreed  a  decree  which 
my  people  shall  realize,  inasmuch  as  they  hearken  from  this 
very  hour,  unto  the  counsel  which  I,  the  Lord  their  God, 
shall  give  unto  them.  Behold  they  shall,  for  I  have  decreed 
it,  begin  to  prevail  against  mine  enemies  from'  this  very  hour, 
and  by  hearkening  to  observe  all  the  words  which  I,  the 
Lord  their  God,  shall  speak  unto  them,  they  shall  never 
cease  to  prevail  until  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  are  subdued 
under  my  feet,  and  the  earth  is  given  unto  the  Saints,  to  pos- 
sess it  for  ever  and  ever"  (Doc.  and  Cov.  103:5-7). 

Is  there  a  person  within  the  sound  of  my  voice,  or  any- 
where else  upon  the  face  of  the  wide  earth,  who  can  say  that 
this  promise  has  failed,  that  this  prediction  is  not  founded  in 
truth,  that  so  far  it  has  not  been  fulfilled?  I  stand  before 
this  vast  congregation,  and  am  at  the  defiance  of  any  human 
being  to  say  that  this  was  not  pronounced  by  the  spirit  of 
truth,  by  the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty,  for  it  has  been  ful- 
filled, and  is  being  fulfilled,  and  that,  too,  in  the  face  of  oppo- 
sition of  the  most  deadly  character :  and  what  remains  will 
be  fulfilled  literally  and  completely.  And  it  is  the  fear  in  the 
heart  of  Satan  that  this  will  be  the  case  that  causes  him  to 
stir  up  his  emissaries  to  oppose  the  kingdom  of  God  and 
seek,  if  possible,  to  destroy  this  great  and  glorious  work. 
For  it  is  a  living  fact,  a  fact  that  fills  the  hearts  of  the 
righteous  and  God-fearing  with  unspeakable  joy,  and  the 
hearts  of  the  wicked  and  ungodly  with  consternation  and 
jealous  fear,  that  this  work  of  God,  this  work  of  redemp- 
tion and  salvation  in  which  we  are  engaged,  is  moving  for- 
ward and  is  destined  to  continue  in  its  onward  march  until 
the  kingdoms  of  the  world  shall  be  subdued  and  brought 


JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET          617 

under  the  law  of  Almighty  God.  And  that  this  will  come 
to  pass,  I  can  assure  you,  the  enemy  of  all  righteousness 
comprehends  as  well  as  we  do.  Yes,  he  knows  that  this 
will  eventually  be  the  case,  better  than  many  who  profess 
to  have  received  the  Holy  Spirit  in  their  hearts ;  and,  there- 
fore, he .  is  diligently  seeking  to  stir  up  the  hearts  of  the 
wicked  to  fight  against  the  Saints  of  God,  until  they  are  dis- 
comfited, and  Zion  is  free. 

These  predictions  concerning  the  triumph  of  the  cause 
of  God  over  the  wicked  who  contend  against  them,  were 
uttered  by  Joseph  Smith  in  his  youth,  in  the  early  rise  of 
the  Church  when,  to  all  human  appearance,  their  fulfilment 
was  absolutely  impossible.  At  that  time  there  were  but  few 
who  could  believe,  that  dared  to  believe  the  truth  of  these 
predictions.  The  few,  comparatively,  that  did  believe  when 
they  heard,  were  those  whose  minds  had  been  enlightened 
by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise  and  who,  therefore,  were  pre- 
pared to  receive  them.  As  these  predictions  have  been  ful- 
filled, so  those  not  yet  fulfilled  will  come  to  pass  in  the  due 
time  of  the  Lord;  and  as  this  latter-day  work  has  so  far 
grown  and  assumed  force  and  power  in  the  earth,  so  it  will 
continue  to  do,  and  there  is  no  power  beneath  the  celestial 
kingdom  that  can  prevent  its  growth,  or  the  consummation 
of  all  that  has  been  predicted  concerning  it. — Apr.  C.  R., 
Journal  of  Discourses,  Vol.  25,  1884,  pp.  97-101. 

JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  BOY.  To  me  there  is  a  sweet  fas- 
cination in  the  contemplation  of  his  childhood  and  youth.  I 
love  to  contemplate  the  innocence  and  the  artless  simplicity 
of  his  boyhood.  It  bears  record  that  he  was  honest,  that 
he  was  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God  to  perform  his  wonderful 
mission.  How  could  a  child  at  his  age  be  impelled  by  other 
than  honest  motives  in  the  accomplishment  of  his  high  and 
holy  calling?  What  he  did  he  was  led  to  do  by  the  inspira- 
tion and  guidance  of  his  heavenly  Father,  of  this  I  feel 
assured. 


618  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

He  was  much  like  other  children ;  his  play  was  like  that 
of  his  companions ;  his  thoughts,  like  those  of  most  children, 
were  innocent,  and  consequently  he  was  incapable  of  the 
knavery  and  connivance  that  his  enemies  declared  he  prac- 
ticed. Though  poor,  his  parents  were  honest  and  good ; 
they  delighted  in  the  truth,  and  it  was  their  honest  desire  to 
live  according  to  the  best  light  within  them.  Love  and  good 
will  to  all  found  expression  in  their  hearts  and  actions,  and 
their  children  were  imbued  with  like  sentiments.  They 
were  firm  believers  in  God,  and  trusted  in  his  watchcare  over 
his  children.  They  had  frequently  received  manifestations 
of  his  loving  kindness,  in  dreams,  visions,  and  inspirations, 
and  God  had  healed  their  little  ones,  in  answer  to  prayer, 
when  they  were  nigh  unto  death.  It  was  in  such  an  at- 
mosphere that  the  boy  was  reared.  Joseph  was  a  remark- 
ably quiet  and  well-disposed  child  who  gave  his  parents  lit- 
tle or  no  trouble.  As  early  as  the  age  of  eight,  he  gave 
proof  that  besides  being  thoughtful,  easily  governed,  and  of 
sweet  and  loving  disposition,  he  possessed  the  foundation 
principles  of  a  good  character — filial  affection,  patience,  en- 
durance, courage. 

Concerning  his  spiritual  manifestations,  is  it  reason- 
able to  suppose  that  there  could  have  been  premeditated 
deceit  on  the  part  of  the  boy,  and  such  a  boy,  in  his  simple 
statement  of  what  he  saw  and  heard  ?  No  ;  neither  could  the 
answer  which  the  heavenly  messenger  gave  to  him,  have 
been  composed  in  the  child's  own  mind.  Joseph  Smith's 
testimony  concerning  his  heavenly  manifestations,  in  later 
life,  was  as  simple,  straight-forward,  plain,  and  true,  as  it 
had  been  in  childhood ;  the  fidelity,  courage,  and  love  im- 
planted in  and  characteristic  of  his  life  in  boyhood  neither 
faltered  nor  changed  with  maturity.  His  wisdom  came  in 
revelations  of  God  to  him. 

One  marked  illustration  of  his  character  was  his  love  for 
children.  He  never  saw  a  child  but  he  desired  to  take  it  up 


JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET          619 

and  bless  it,  and  many  he  did  so  bless,  taking  them  in  his 
arms  and  upon  his  knee.  I  have  myself  sat  upon  his  knee. 
He  was  so  fond  of  children  that  he  would  go  far  out  of  his 
way  to  speak  to  a  little  one,  which  is  to  me  a  striking  char- 
acteristic of  true  manhood.  He  had  a  like  true  love  for  the 
human  race.  I  know,  and  have  known  from  my  childhood, 
that  he  was  a  prophet  of  God,  and  I  believe  in  his  divine 
mission  with  all  my  heart ;  and  in  the  authenticity  and  inspi- 
ration of  the  revelations  which  he  received,  and  the  Book  of 
Mormon  which  he  was  instrumental  in  bringing  forth. — 
Improvement  Era,  Vol.  21,  December,  1917,  p.  167. 

JOSEPH  SMITH,  A  RESTORER.  I  think  it  is  wrong  to 
count  Joseph  the  prophet  one  who  fought  old  forms,  in  the 
sense  that  he  established  new  principles  and  doctrines.  He 
fought  existing  religious  forms,  it  is  true,  but  he  merely 
became  the  means,  in  God's  providence,  to  restore  the  old 
truths  of  the  everlasting  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  plan  6*f 
salvation,  which  is  older  than  the  human  race.  It  is  true, 
also,  that  his  teachings  were  new  to  the  people  of  his  day, 
because  they  had  apostatized  from  the  truth — but  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  gospel  are  the  oldest  truths  in  existence.  They 
were  new  to  Joseph's  generation,  as  they  are  in  part  to  ours, 
because  men  had  gone  astray,  been  cast  adrift,  shifted  hither 
and  thither  by  every  new  wind  of  doctrine  which  cunning 
men — so-called  progressives — had  advanced.  This  made  the 
Prophet  Joseph  a  restorer,  not  a  destroyer,  of  old  truths. 
And  this  does  not  justify  us  in  discarding  the  simple,  funda- 
mental principles  of  the  gospel  and  running  after  modern 
doctrinal  fads  and  notions. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  15, 
June,  1912,  p.  737. 

PLURAL  WIVES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET.  I 
can  positively  state,  on  indisputable  evidence,  that  Joseph 
Smith  was  the  author,  under  God,  of  the  revelation  on  plural 
marriage.  On  this  subject,  we  have  the  affidavit  of 'William 
Clayton,  private  secretary  of  Joseph  Smith,  that  he  wrote 


620  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

the  revelation  as  it  was  given  through  the  lips  of  the  prophet, 
and  that  he  himself  sealed  to  Joseph  Smith  as  a  plural  wife, 
Lucy  Walker,  at  Joseph  Smith's  own  residence,  on  May  1, 
1843.  This  lady  is  still  living,  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  is  will- 
ing to  testify  at  any  moment  to  this  fact.  Following  are  some 
of  the  names  of  young  ladies  who  were  sealed  to  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith  in  Nauvoo,  as  testified  to  under  oath  by  them- 
selves— this  during  the  lifetime  of  the  prophet:  Eliza  R. 
Snow,  Sarah  Ann  Whitney,  Helen  Mar  Kimball,  Fanny 
Young  (sister  to  Brigham  Young),  and  Rhoda  Richards 
(sister  to  Willard  Richards  who  was  with  the  prophet  at 
his  martyrdom  in  Carthage  jail).  All  these  noble  women 
have  testified,  under  oath,  giving  names  and  dates,  that  they 
were  sealed,  during  his  lifetime,  to  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith.  These  facts  have  been  published  in  Jenson's  His- 
torical Record,  and  in  the  Dcscrct  News,  in  years  past ;  and 
I »know,  by  the  established  and  virtuous  character  of  these 
noble  women,  that  their  testimonies  are  true. 

A  careful  reading  of  the  revelation  on  plural  marriage 
should  convince  any  honest  man  that  it  was  never  written 
by  Brigham  Young,  as  it  contains  references  to  Joseph  Smith 
himself,  and  his  family,  which  would  be  utterly  nonsensical 
and  useless  if  written  by  President  Young.  The  fact  is,  we 
have  the  affidavit  of  Joseph  C.  Kingsbury,  certifying  that  he 
copied  the  original  manuscript  of  the  revelation  within  three 
days  after  the  date  on  which  it  was  written.  I  knew  Joseph 
C.  Kingsbury  well.  Furthermore,  the  revelation  was  read 
by  Hyrum  Smith  to  a  majority  of  the  members  of  the  High 
Council,  in  Nauvoo,  at  about  the  time  it  was  given,  to  which 
fact  we  have  the  sworn  statements  of  the  members  of  the 
High  Council. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  5,  October,  1902, 
p.  988. 

WHAT  DOES  THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  JOSEPH  AND  HYRUM 
TEACH  Us?  What  does  the  martyrdom  teach  us?  The 
great  lesson  that  "where  a  testament  is  there  must  also  of 


JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET         621 

necessity  be  the  death  of  the  testator"  (Heb.  9:17)  to  make 
it  of  force.  Moreover,  that  the  blood  of  martyrs  is  indeed 
the  seed  of  the  Church.  The  Lord  permitted  the  sacrifice, 
that  the  testimony  of  those  virtuous  and  righteous  men 
should  stand  as  a  witness  against  a  perverse  and  unrighteous 
world.  Then,  again,  they  were  examples  of  the  wonderful 
love  of  which  the  Redeemer  speaks :  "Greater  love  hath  no 
man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends" 
(John  15:13).  This  wonderful  love  they  manifested  to. 
the  Saints  and  to  the  world;  for  both  realized  and  ex- 
pressed their  conviction,  before  starting  on  the  journey  to 
Carthage,  that  they  were  going  to  their  death.  They  might 
have  escaped;  in  fact,  had  but  a  few  days  before  made  the 
start  for  the  Rocky  Mountains,  but  were  recalled  by  the 
groundless  fears  of  false  friends  who  made  the  accusation 
that  they  were  fleeing  from  dangers  that  were  equally  as 
great  towards  the  peace  and  happiness  of  the  members  of 
the  Church  as  they  could  possibly  be  towards  themselves. 

Satan  said  to  Job:  "All  that  a  man  hath  will  he  give 
for  his  life."  Of  the  true  servant,  and  where  perfect  love 
abides,  that  is  not  true !  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith  returned 
and  calmly  went  to  their  death,  feeling  that  their  lives  were 
of  no  value  to  themselves  if  unvalued  by  their  friends,  or  if 
they  were  needed  as  a  sacrifice  for  the  protection  of  their 
worthy  followers.  Their  courage,  their  faith,  their  love  for 
the  people  were  without  bounds,  and  they  gave  all  that  they 
had  for  their  people.  Such  devotion  and  love  left  no  doubt 
in  the  minds  of  those  who  enjoyed  the  companionship  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  that  these  good  men  and  true,  were  indeed 
the  authorized  servants  of  the  Lord. 

This  martyrdom  has  always  been  an  inspiration  to  the 
people  of  the  Lord.  It  has  helped  them  in  their  individual 
trials ;  has  given  them  courage  to  pursue  a  course  in  right- 
eousness and  to  know  and  to  live  the  truth,  and  must  ever 
be  held  in  sacred  memory  by  the  Latter-day  Saints  who 


622  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

have  learned  the  great  truths  that  God  revealed  through  his 
servant  Joseph  Smith. — Juvenile  Instructor,  Vol.  51,  June, 
1916,  p.  381. 

DIVINE  AUTHORITY  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH  AND  His  SUC- 
CESSORS. I  bear  my  testimony  to  you  and  to  the  world  that 
Joseph  Smith  was  raised  up  by  the  power  of  God  to  lay  the 
foundations  of  this  great  latter-day  work,  to  reveal  the  ful- 
ness of  the  gospel  to  the  world  in  this  dispensation,  to  re- 
store the  priesthood  of  God  to  the  world,  by  which  men  may 
act  in  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  it  will  be  accepted  of  God;  it  will  be  by 
his  authority.  I  bear  my  testimony  to  it ;  I  know  that  it  is 
true. 

I  bear  my  testimony  to  the  divine  authority  of  those 
who  have  succeeded  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  in  the  pres- 
idency of  the  Church.  They  were  men  of  God ;  I  knew 
them ;  I  was  intimately  associated  with  them,  and  as  one  man 
may  know  another,  through  the  intimate  knowledge  that  he 
possesses  of  him,  so  I  can  bear  testimony  to  the  integrity, 
to  the  honor,  to  the  purity  of  life,  to  the  intelligence,  and 
to  the  divinity  of  the  mission  and  calling  of  Brigham,  of 
John,  of  Wilford  and  of  Lorenzo.  They  were  inspired  of 
God  to  fill  the  mission  to  which  they  were  called,  and  I 
know  it.  I  thank  God  for  that  testimony,  and  for  the  spirit 
that  prompts  me  and  impels  me  toward  these  men,  toward 
their  mission,  toward  this  people,  toward  my  God  and  my 
Redeemer.  I  thank  the  Lord  for  it,  and  I  pray  earnestly 
that  it  may  never  depart  from  me — worlds  without  end. — • 
Improvement  Era,  Vol.  14,  Nov.,  1910,  p.  74. 

GOD'S  GUIDING  HAND  SEEN  IN  CHURCH  HISTORY.  In 
connection  with  this  thought  it  may  be  proper,  consistent 
and  timely,  for  me  to  remark  that  each  individual  member 
of  the  Church  assembled  here  this  morning  is  a  free  man  or 
a  free  woman,  possessing  to  the  utmost  degree  all  the  qual- 
ifications and  characteristics  of  freemen,  independent  with 


JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET         o23 

reference  to  individual  action  and  choice,  of  every  other 
mail  and  of  every  other  woman  present.  This  being  a  fact, 
which  is  a  fact,  the  unanimity  exhibited  on  the  part  of  the 
audience,  with  reference  to  the  actions  that  have  been  taken, 
vindicate  the  belief  and  the  assertion  which  I  make,  that  the 
members  of  this  congregation  are  certainly  in  harmony  with 
the  will  of  the  Father.  They  are  united;  they  see  eye  to 
eye;  their  sympathy  is  with  one  another  and  with  the  cause 
they  represent.  Their  hearts  are  in  the  work  in  which  they 
are  engaged,  and  that  because  of  their  choice,  because  they 
have  fully  weighed  all  matters  connected  with  their  stand- 
ing in  the  Church,  and  with  regard  to  the  course  which  they 
have  taken  today;  they  have,  voluntarily,  without  coercion, 
without  compulsion,  without  any  restraint,  except  the  re- 
straint of  their  own  consciences,  shown  that  they  see  eye 
to  eye,  that  they  are  one  and  are  therefore  entitled  to  be 
acknowledged  of  the  Master  as  his  own  and  as  of  him.  I 
believe  that  there  is  not  a  freer,  more  independent  nor  a  more 
intelligent  people  to  be  found  anywhere  in  the  world,  who 
are  more  independent  in  choosing  the  course  which  they  pur- 
sue, in  the  work  that  they  perform  and  in  everything  that 
they  have  to  do  with,  than  the  Latter-day  Saints. 

There  is  not  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day 'Saints,  in  good  standing,  anywhere  in  all  the 
world  today  that  is  not  such  by  reason  of  his  independence 
of  character,  by  reason  of  his  intelligence,  wisdom  and  abil- 
ity to  judge  between  right  and  wrong  and  between  good  and 
evil.  There  is  not  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
anywhere,  in  good  standing,  living  a  proper  life,  that  would 
not  hold  up  his  hand  against  evil,  against  wrong,  against 
sin,  against  the  transgression  of  the  laws  of  God  against 
unrighteousness  or  vice  of  any  kind,  with  as  much  freedom 
and  independence  and  with  as  firm  determination  as  any 
other  man  or  woman  in  the  world. 

I  am  thankful  to  have  the  privilege,  this  moment,  of  ex- 


6J4  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

pressing  this  my  view  and  firm  belief  and  my  knowledge  of 
the  real  character  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  throughout  the 
world.  And,  when  I  say  Latter-day  Saints,  I  mean  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
founded  by  God,  through  the  instrumentality  and  agency 
of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  who  was  chosen  of  God  and 
ordained  and  qualified  and  authorized  to  lay  the  foundations 
of  the  Church  of  Jesus.  Christ,  never  more  to  be  destroyed 
nor  left  to  other  people,  never  more  to  cease  but  to  continue 
until  the  purposes  of  God  should  ripen  and  be  accomplished 
for  the  salvation  of  the  children  of  men  and  for  the  redemp- 
tion of  the  living,  and  of  the  dead  who  have  died  without  a 
knowledge  of  the  plan  of  life  and  salvation.  In  stating  this 
I  state  the  results  of  my  experience  in  associations  with  such 
men  as  those  who  laid  the  foundations  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ,  from  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  down  to  this 
moment. 

As  a  child  I  knew  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith.  As  a 
child  I  have  listened  to  him  preach  the  gospel  that  God  had 
committed  to  his  charge  and  care.  As  a  child  I  was  fa- 
miliar in  his  home,  in  his  household,  as  I  was  familiar  under 
my  own  father's  roof.  I  have  retained  the  witness  of  the 
Spirit  that  I  was  imbued  with,  as  a  child,  and  that  I  re- 
ceived from  my  sainted  mother,  the  firm  belief  that  Joseph 
Smith  wa^  a  prophet  of  God;  that  he  was  inspired  as  no 
other  man  in  his  generation,  or  for  centuries  before,  had 
been  inspired;  that  he  had  been  chosen  of  God  to  lay  the 
foundations  of  God's  Kingdom  as  well  as  of  God's  Church; 
that  by  the  power  of  God  he  was  enabled  to  bring  forth  the 
record  of  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  this  continent,  to  revive 
,and  to  reveal  to  the  world  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ,  not 
only  as  he  taught  it  in  the  midst  of  the  Jews,  in  Judea,  but 
as  he  also  taught  it  and  as  it  was  also  recorded  in  greater 
simplicity  and  plainness  upon  this  continent,  among  the  de- 
scendants of  Lehi.  As  a  child  I  was  impressed,  deeply, 


JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET         625 

with  the  thought,  and  firmly  with  the  belief,  in  my  soul  that  f 
the  revelations  that  had  been  given  to  and  through  Joseph 
the  Prophet,  as  contained  in  this  book,  the  Book  of  Doc- 
trine and  Covenants,  were  the  word  of  God,  as  were  the 
words  of  the  ancient  disciples  when  they  bore  record  of  the 
Father  and  of  the  Son.  That  impression  made  upon  me  in 
my  childhood  has  followed  through  all  the  vicissitudes  of 
more  than  sixty  years  of  actual  and  practical  experience  in 
the  mission  field,  throughout  the  nations  of  the  world,  and  at 
home  in  the  midst  of  the  authorized  servants' of  God,  who 
officiated  in  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  to  propa- 
gate, to  build  up,  and  to  push  forward  the  work  inaugurated 
by  the  instrumentality  of  the  boy  Joseph  Smith. 

In  my  childhood,  too,  I  was  instructed  to  believe  in  the 
divinity  of  the  mission  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  was  taught  by 
my  mother,  a  Saint  indeed — that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of 
God ;  that  he  was  indeed  no  other  than  the  Only  Begotten  of 
God  in  the  flesh,  and  that,  therefore,  no  other  than  God  the 
eternal  Father  is  his  Father  and  the  author  of  his  existence 
in  the  world.  I  was  taught  it  from  my  father,  from  the 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  through  my  mother  who  embraced 
the  gospel  because  she  believed  in  the  testimony  of  Joseph 
Smith,  and  she  believed  in  the  honor,  integrity  and  truth- 
fulness of  her  husband ;  and  all  my  boyhood  days  and'  all  my 
years  in  the  world  I  have  clung  to  that  belief ;  indeed,  I  have 
never  had  any  serious  dubiety  in  my  mind,  even  in  child- 
hood ;  and  when  I  could  only  imperfectly  understand  things 
with  reference  to  the  divinity  of  the  mission  of  the  Son  of 
God,  I  accepted  it  as  being  true  in  the  sense  in  which  only  it 
can  be  true ;  for  in  no  other  than  the  literal  sense,  as  it  is 
described  in  the  scriptures  of  divine  truth  and  in  the  testi- 
monies of  the  prophets,  can  it  be  true  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
the  Son  of  God.  I  believe  it.  I  have  believed  it  all  my  life ; 
but  I  owe  to  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  the  fixed  and  unal- 
terable confirmation  of  that  belief,  until  it  has  come  to  be, 

41 


626  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

in  my  soul,  a  knowledge  of  the  truth ;  and  in  so  far  as  I 
have  continued  in  the  word  of  the  Lord,  I  believe,  I  have 
been  led  to  know  the  truth.  I  believe  that  I  possess  that 
freedom  that  comes  from  a  knowledge  of  the  truth,  which 
teaches  all  men  rightetmsness,  virtue,  honor,  faith,  charity, 
forgiveness  mercy,  longsuffering  patience  and  devotion  to 
that  which  is  good,  and  abstinence  from  that  which  is  evil. 

"The  truth  will  make  you  free."  Free  from  what? 
From  error,  free  from  doubt,  and  uncertainty,  free  from 
unbelief,  free  from  the  powers  of  darkness,  free  from  the 
possibility  of  being  tempted  beyond  your  strength ;  but  to 
resist  error  and  to  shun  even  the  appearance  of  sin.  This 
truth  makes  a  man  a  Latter-day  Saint.  This  knowledge  of 
the  truth  makes  you  free  to  worship  God  and  to  love  him 
with  all  your  heart  and  mind  and  strength,  and  to  do  the 
next  best  thing — to  love  your  neighbor  as  nearly  as  you 
pssibly  can  as  you  love  yourselves. 

The  truth  that  I  have  received  teaches  me  that  Joseph 
Smith  was  a  prophet  of  God,  teaches  me  to  accept  without 
recourse,  other  than  the  full  and  free  acceptance  of  that 
truth,  that  God  Almighty,  the  Father  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
Father  of  our  spirits,  the  maker  of  heaven  and  earth,  con- 
descended to  come  down  to  this  our  mother  earth,  in  person, 
in  company  with  his  beloved  Son,  and  show  themselves  to 
Joseph  Smith.  I  believe  it.  The  truth  has  made  me  feel  that 
this  must  be  true.  It  cannot  be  error,  foi  the  Lord  God 
Almighty  could  never  build  the  structure  that  he  has  built 
upon  the  testimony  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  if  it  had 
been  founded  in  error  or  untruth.  This  people  never  could 
have  combined  and  adhered  together,  never  could  have  been 
united,  never  could  have  seen  eye  to  eye,  never  could  have 
been  one,  in  order  that  they  might  be  acknowledged  of  God 
as  his  own,  if  we  had  been  building  upon  error.  If  our 
foundations  were  laid  in  untruth  and  in  unrighteousness  this 
could  not  be.  But  the  Lord  is  at  the  bottom  of  this.  Joseph 


JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET         627 

Smith  was  not  at  the  foundation  of  it.  He  was  not  responsi- 
ble, only  so  far  as  he  was  obedient  to  the  will  of  the  Father. 
God  is  responsible  for  this  work.  The  Lord  Almighty  has 
made  the  promises  concerning  this  work,  not  Joseph  Smith, 
not  Hyrum  Smith.  No  other  man  has  made  true  promises 
with  reference  to  the  future  of  Zion  and  to  the  building  up 
of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  earth,  except  God  inspired 
him  to  do  it.  Not  of  himself  has  man  ever  done  anything 
of  the  kind.  The  Lord  is  at  the  bottom ;  the  Lord  is  at  the 
top ;  the  Lord  is  all  the  way  through  this  work,  and  every 
fibre  of  it  is  in  his  keeping  and  is  moved  by  his  magic  power 
and  by  the  inspiration  of  his  Holy  Spirit.  That  is  my  testi- 
mony to  you. 

I  believe  in  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  because  more 
than  ever  I  come  nearer  the  possession  of  the  actual  knowl- 
edge that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God, 
through  the  testimony  of  Joseph  Smith  contained  in  this 
book,  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  that  he  saw  Him,  that 
he  heard  Him,  that  he  received  instructions  from  Him,  that 
he  obeyed  those  instructions,  and  that  he  today  stands  be- 
fore the  world  as  the  last  great,  actual,  living  witness  of  the 
divinity  of  Christ's  mission  and  his  power  to  redeem  man 
from  the  temporal  death  and  also  from  the  second  death 
which  will  follow  man's  own  sins,  through  disobedience  to 
the  ordinances  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  Thank  God 
for  Joseph  Smith.  I  believe  in  his  mission,  having  accepted 
this  great  truth  and  his  narration  of  it. 

The  greatest  event  that  has  ever  occurred  in  the  world 
since  the  resurrection  of  the  Son  of  God  from  the  tomb, 
and  his  ascension  on  high,  was  the  coming  of  the  Father 
and  of  the  Son  to  that  boy  Joseph  Smith,  to  prepare  the 
way  for  the  laying  of  the  foundation  of  his  kingdom — not 
the  kingdom  of  man — never  more  to  cease  nor  to  be  over- 
turned. Having  accepted  this  truth,  I  find  it  easy  to  accept 
of  every  other  truth  that  he  enunciated  and  declared  dur- 


628  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

ing  his  mission  of  fourteen  years  in  the  world.  He  never 
taught  a  doctrine  that  was  not  true.  He  never  practiced 
a  doctrine '  that  he  was  not  commanded  to  practice.  He 
never  advocated  error.  He  was  not  deceived.  He  saw ;  he 
heard;  he  did  as  he  was  commanded  to  do;  and,  therefore, 
God  is  responsible  for  the  work  accomplished  by  Joseph 
Smith — not  Joseph  Smith.  The  Lord  is  responsible  for  it, 
and  not  man. 

.1  am  happy  to  express  to  this  audience  my  knowledge 
of  the  successors  of  Joseph  Smith.  They  reared  me,  in  part, 
so  to  speak.  In  other  words,  with  them  I  journeyed  across 
the  deserts,  by  the  side  of  my  ox-team,  following  President 
Brigham  Young  and  his  associates  to  these  barren  wastes, 
barren  as  they  were  when  we  first  entered  this  valley.  I  be- 
lieved in  him  then,  and  I  know  him  now !  I  believed  in  his 
associates,  and  I  know  them  now ;  for  I  lived  with  them ;  I 
slept  with  them ;  I  traveled  with  them ;  I  heard  them  preach 
and  teach  and  exhort,  and  I  saw  their  wisdom  which  was 
not  the  wisdom  of  man  but  the  wisdom  of  Almighty 
God.  When  President  Young  set  his  foot  down  here,  upon 
this  desert  spot,  it  was  in  the  midst  of  persuasion,  prayers 
and  petitions  on  the  part  of  some  Latter-day  Saints  who 
had  gone  forward  and  landed  upon  the  coast  of  California, 
that  beautiful,  rich  country,  semi-tropical,  abounding  in  re- 
sources that  no  inland  country  could  possess,  inviting  and 
appealing  for  settlers  at  that  time,  and  just  such  settlers  as 
President  Brigham  Young  could  have  taken  there — honest 
people,  people  who  were  firm  in  their  faith,  who  were  estab- 
lished in  the  knowledge  of  truth  and  righteousness,  and  in 
the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  is  the  spirit  of  proph- 
ecy, and  in  the  testimony  of  Joseph  Smith  which  was  a  con- 
firmation of  the  spirit  of  Christ  and  of  his  mission. 

These  people  pleaded  with  President  Young:  "Come 
with  us,"  they  said,  "and  go  to  the  coast.  Go  where  roses 
bloom  all  the  year  round,  where  the  fragrance  of  flowers 


JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET         629 

scents  the  air,  from  May  until  May;  where  beauty  reigns; 
where  the  elements  of  wealth  are  to  be  found,  and  only 
need  to  be  developed.  Come  with  us." 

"No,"  said  President  Young,  "we  will  remain  here,  and 
\ve  will  make  the  desert  blossom  like  the  rose.  We  will 
fulfil  the  Scriptures  by  remaining  here." 

I  heard  him  tell  one  of  the  Battalion  boys  who  came 
back  from  California  with  a  little  buckskin  sack  of  gold  nug- 
gets, and  who  shook  them  in  the  face  of  President  Young, 
and  said  to  him :  "Look  what  we  could  get  if  we  were  to 
go  to  California !  The  land  is  full  of  gold ;"  but  President 
Young  pointed  his  finger  (I  was  there  and  saw  and  heard 

it),  and  he  said:  "Brother— ,  you  may  go  to  California, 

if  you  will.  Those  who  want  to  go  there  can  go,  but  we  will 
remain  here;  and  I  want  to  tell  you  that  those  who  remain 
here  and  obey  counsel,  in  a  few  years  will  be  able  to  buy  out 
every  one  of  you  who  go  to  California — ten-fold  over." 

(Bishop  George  Romney:  "That  is  true;  I  know  the 
man.") 

Why,  bless  your  soul,  what  did  President  Young  know 
about  Utah,  at  that  early  day  ?  We  did  not  know  that  there 
was  even  a  lump  of  coal  in  existence  in  the  land.  I  myself 
passed  the  first  fall  and  winter  after  our  entrance  into  this 
valley  hauling  wood  out  of  Mill  Creek  canyon  and  Parley's 
canyon ;  and  during  that  fall  and  winter  I  hauled  forty  loads 
of  wood  with  my  oxen  and  wagon  out  of  these  canyons. 
Every  load  I  cut  and  hauled  diminished  the  supply  of  wood 
for  fuel  for  the  future;  and  I  said  to  myeslf:  What  will  we 
do  when  the  wood  is  all  gone?  How  will  we  live  here  when 
we  can't  get  any  more  fuel,  for  it  was  rapidly  going.  I 
followed  that  pursuit  until  it  took  me  three  days  in  the  moun- 
tains with  my  ox-team  and  wagon,  to  get  a  load  of  wood 
for  winter  fuel;  and. what  were  we  to  do?  Yet  President 
Young  said,  "This  is  the  place." 

Well,   ordinarily,   our  judgment   and   our  faith   would 


630  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

have  been  tried,  in  the  decision  of  the  president,  if  we  had 
not  implicit  confidence  in  him.  If  we  had  not  known  that 
he  was  the  mouthpiece  of  God,  that  he  was  the  real  and  le- 
gitimate successor  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  in  the  Pres- 
idency of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints, 
we  would  have  doubted  his  wisdom  and  we  would  have  fal- 
tered in  our  faith  in  his  promise  and  word;  but  no,  we  be- 
lieved him,  and  we  stayed ;  and  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I 
am  here  yet;  and  I  propose  to  remain  here  as  long  as  the 
Lord  wants  me  to  stay.  And  what  has  developed? 

Our  good  friends  from  the  east  used  to  come  out  here 
in  the  early  days,  and  upbraid  us.  They  said :  "Why,  it  is 
the  fulfilment  of  the  curse  of  God  upon  you.  You  have  been 
driven  away  from  the  rich  lands  of  Illinois  and  Missouri 
into  a  desert,  into  a  salt  land." 

"I  said :  "Yes,  we  have  salt  enough  here  to  save  the 
world,  thank  God,  and  we  may  find  use  for  it  by  and  by." 

Well,  before  the  wood  gave  out  entirely  in  the  moun- 
tains, we  discovered  coal  up  here  in  Summit  county,  and 
then  we  began  to  discover  it  all  along  the  mountains  here, 
and  we  kept  on  discovering  it,  until  at  last  we  have  learned 
that  we  have  coal  enough  in  Utah  to  furnish  fuel  for  the 
whole  world  for  a  hundred  years,  if  they  want  to  come  and 
get  it.  We  have  it  right  here,  any  amount  of  it;  and  they 
haven't  got  that  in  California ;  they  come  up  here  to  get 
their  coal. 

We  have  discovered  that  this  country  was  really  the 
gold-mine  country  of  the  world;  that  here  abounded  silver 
as  well  as  gold  in  greater  abundance  than  in  California.  We 
have  discovered  now  that  some  of  our  mountains  here  are 
practically  made  of  copper,  and  men  are  hewing  copper  out 
of  the  mountains  by  millions  of  tons,  so  to  speak,  and  com- 
ing it  in  the  way  of  business  into  money ;  and  thank  the  Lord, 
we  do  not  have  to  go  to  Liverpool  for  the  salt  we  use  in 
making  butter.  We  have  it  right  here,  just  as  good  and 


JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET          631 

pure  as  the  best  they  can  fetch  from  England  or  anywhere 
else  in  the  world ;  and  this  salt  land  has  proven  to  be  a  boon, 
a  consolation  and  a  blessing  beyond  all  power  of  description. 

When  the  army  came  out  here,  in  1858,  we  wanted  some 
bullets  to  go  out  and  meet  General  Johnston  and  his  forces 
that  were  coming  in — not  to  kill  them ;  we  did  not  want  the 
bullets  to  kill  them ;  we  just  wanted  the  bullets  to  scare  them 
with.  Some  of  the  boys  went  out  here  into  the  mountains 
with  a  pick  and  shovel,  and  they  dug  up  lead,  impregnated 
somewhat  with  silver.  They  brought  it  in,  improvised  a  lit- 
tle furnace  and  ran  out  a  few  tons  of  lead.  I  had  the  honor 
of  being  associated  with  that  little  company  of  men,  and  I 
brought  home  with  me  some  thirty  or  forty  pounds  of  lead 
that  we  just  quarried  out  of  the  hill  with  a  pick  and  shovel. 

When  I  rode  up  to  the  office  here,  to  report  to  Presi- 
dent Young  my  return  from  my  mission  of  over  three  years, 
the  army  was  approaching,  and  he  said  to  me:  "Well, 
Joseph,  have  you  got  a  horse?" 

I  said,  "Yes,  sir." 

"Have  you  got  a  gun?" 

I  said,  "Yes,  sir." 

"Have  you  got  any  ammunition?" 

I  said  "No,  sir." 

"Well,"  he  said,  "you  report  to  Brother  Rockwood,  at 
the  commissary  office  and  he  will  furnish  you  with  ammu- 
nition, and  you  take  your  gun  and  go  out  to  the  front." 

So  I  w^ent  home  and  sat  up  all  that  night,  running  bullets 
out  of  my  mountain  lead ;  reported  the  next  day  to  Brother 
Rockwood,  received  a  chunk  of  Mother  Gadbury's  cheese 
and  some  crackers,  and  started  on  my  horse,  with  a  brother- 
in-law,  for  the  front.  I. spent  part  of  the  winter  of  1858, 
and  all  of  the  spring  and  a  portion  of  the  summer  of  1859, 
guarding  Uncle  Sam's  troops ;  and  we  never  hurt  one  of 
them,  not  one.  We  never  molested  a  single  individual  of 
them ;  but  we  hedged  up  their  way  and  they  camped  out  at 


632  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

Fort  Bridger  all  winter  long,  and  we  sent  them  salt  to  save 
them;  and  they  rejected  it,  because  they  were  afraid  there 
was  something  in  the  salt,  more  than  the  savor  of  it.  But 
I  assure  you  the  salt  was  pure  and  good. 

Now,  just  before  that  time,  I  was  a  farmer.  I  had  to 
plow  my  land  and  farm  it,  but  I  did  not  have  a  spear  of 
grass  or  hay  to  feed  my  team,  and  how  was  I  going  to  do 
my  spring  work?  This  valley  produced  mighty  little  hay 
at  that  time.  I  hitched  up  my  team,  my  brother  and  I,  and 
we  drove  sixty  miles  to  the  north  and  bought  a  couple  of 
loads  of  wild  grass  hay,  and  carted  that  hay  down  sixty 
miles  to  feed  our  teams  in  order  to  plow  our  land.  I  used 
to  think,  how  in  the  world  are  we  going  to  live  in  Utah 
without  feed  for  our  teams.  Just  then  the  Lord  sent  a 
handful  of  alfalfa  seed  into  this  valley,  and  Christopher 
Layton  planted  it,  watered  it,  and  it  matured ;  and  from 
that  little  beginning,  Utah  can  now  produce  a  richer  crop 
of  hay  than  Illinois  or  Missouri  can  do.  So  the  hay  ques- 
tion was  settled  and  the  coal  question  was  settled.  Then  the 
question  of  producing  food  from  the  land.  Why,  it  was  a 
marvel.  One  good  man  cultivated  his  little  farm  for  thirty 
years,  without  a  change,  and  raised  from  fifty  to  sixty  bush- 
els of  wheat  per  acre  each  year  on  his  farm,  during  that  en- 
tire period.  So  the  soil  is  rich,  and  everything  is  favorable 
for  Zion  here  where  President  Young  determined  that  he 
would  stay ;  if  we  had  not  stayed  here,  it  is  clear  we  would 
have  been  overwhelmed  and  swallowed  up  by  the  multi- 
tudes who  rushed  to  California. 

Now,  my  brethren  and  sisters,  I  know  whereof  I  speak 
with  reference  to  these  matters,  for  I  have  come  down 
through  every  atom  of  it,  at  least  from  the  expulsion  from 
the  city  of  Nauvoo;  in  February,  1846,  when  I  stood  upon 
the  bank  of  the  river  and  saw  President  Young  and  the 
Twelve  apostles,  and  as  many  of  the  people  of  Nauvoo  as 
had  teams  or  could  possibly  migrate,  cross  the  Mississippi 


JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET         633 

river  on  the  ice.  The  river  froze  within  a  day  or  two,  be- 
cause of  heavy  frost,  which  enabled  them  to  cross  as  they 
did,  and  thus  the  first  real  marvel  and  manifestation  of  the 
mercy  and  of  the  power  of  God  was  manifest,  in  making 
a  roadway  across  the  Mississippi  a  mile  wide  at  that  place 
by  which  our  people  could  go  on  their  journey  to  the  West. 
I  saw  them  go.  My  brother  was  with  them,  and  I  wondered 
if  I  would  ever  see  him  again.  We  remained  there  in  Nau- 
voo  until  September,  1846,  when  the  city  was  besieged,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  cannon  and  musket,  and  my  mother  and 
her  family  were  compelled  to  take  all  that  they  could  move 
out  of  the  house — their  bedding  their  clothing,  the  little 
food  they  possessed,  leaving  the  furniture  and  everything 
else  standing  in  the  house,  and  fled  across  the  river,  where 
we  camped  without  tent  or  shelter  until  the  war  was  over. 
The  city  was  conquered,  and  the  poor  people  that  were  left 
there  were  compelled  to  seek  shelter  somewhere  else.  From 
that  moment  on,  I  have  been  in  the  conflict.  I  have  seen  it  and 
experienced  it  all  the  way  through ;  and  I  am  satisfied  with 
my  experience. 

I  bear  record  to  you  of  the  divinity  of  the  work  in  which 
you  are  engaged,  and  I  bear  record  to  you  and  testify  that 
it  has  been  the  power  of  God,  not  that  of  President  Young 
or  of  his  associates,  that  has  kept  the  people  together  and 
united  them.  By  that  power  you  have  been  able  to  come  here 
this  morning  and  with  one  united  voice,  and  uplifted  hands, 
sustain  in  the  positions  to  which  they  have  been  chosen  the 
men  who  have  been  called  and  appointed  and  ordained  by 
virtue  of  authority  from  God,  to  preside  over  you  and  teach 
you  things  that  are  good  to  be  taught  and  good  to  be  known 
and  observed,  which  will  bring  life  and  salvation  to  those 
who  will  hearken  and  be  obedient. 

The  Lord  bless  you;  the  Lord  bless  the  pure  in  heart 
throughout  the  world.  May  the  Lord  have  mercy  upon  the 
suffering  nations  that  are  afflicted  by  this  terrible  calamity 


034  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

of  war.  May  he  save  the  poor  and  the  needy  and'  the  hon- 
orable among  the  children  of  men,  to  come  eventually  to  a 
knowledge  of  his  truth,  that  they  may  be  saved  in  his  king- 
dom. 

Much  could  be  said.  Joseph  Smith  taught  the  build- 
ing of  temples.  I  can  scarcely  quit.  Joseph  Smith  was 
the  instrument  in  the  hand  of  God  in  revealing  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  house  of  God  that  are  essential  to  the  salva- 
tion of  the  living  and  the  dead.  Joseph  Smith  taught  these 
principles,  and  his  brethren  to  whom  he  taught  them  have 
carried  out  his  views.  They  have  put  his  doctrines  to  the 
test.  They  have  obeyed  his  counsel,  and  they  have  honored 
him  and  his  mission  and  sustained  him  as  man  has  never  been 
sustained  by  any  other  people  under  God's  heavens.  So  we 
will  continue  to  sustain  Joseph  the  prophet,  and  his  work 
that  he  has  accomplished  among  the  children  of  men,  and  we 
will  abide  in  the  truth  forever,  by  the  help  of  God ;  even  so, 
Amen.— Sermon,  Salt  Lake  Assembly  Hall,  July  8,  1917. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 
Personal  Testimonies  and  Blessings. 

A  TESTIMONY.  I  declare  unto  you  in  all  candor,  and  in 
all  earnestness  of  soul,  that  I  believe  with  all  my  heart  in 
the  divine  mission  of  Joseph  Smith,  the  Prophet,  that  I  am 
convinced  in  every  fiber  of  my  being  that  God  raised  him 
up  to  restore  to  the  earth  the  gospel  of  Christ,  which  is  in- 
deed the  power  of  God  unto  salvation.  I  testify  to  you  that 
Joseph  Smith  was  instrumental  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord  in 
restoring  God's  truth  to  the  world,  and  also  the  holy  priest- 
hood, which  is  his  authority  delegated  unto  man.  I  know 
this  is  true,  and  I  testify  of  it  to  you.  To  me  it  is  all-in-all ; 
it  is  my  life,  it  is  my  light ;  it  is  my  hope,  and  my  joy ;  it 
gives  me  the  only  assurance  that  I  have  for  exaltation,  for 
my  resurrection  from  death,  with  those  whom  I  have  loved 
and  cherished  in  this  life,  and  with  whom  my  lot  has  been 
cast  in  this  world — honorable  men,  pure,  humble  men,  who 
were  obedient  unto  God  and  his  commands,  who  were  not 
ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  nor  of  their  convictions  or 
knowledge  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel;  men  who  were  made 
of  the  stuff  of  which  martyrs  are  made,  and  who  were  will- 
ing at  any  moment  to  lay  down  their  lives  for  Christ's  sake, 
and  for  the  gospel,  if  need  be,  which  they  had  received  with 
the  testimony  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  their  hearts.  I  want  to 
be  reunited  with  these  men  when  I  shall  have  finished  my 
course  here.  When  my  mission  is  done  here,  I  hope  to  go 
beyond  into  the  spirit  world  where  they  dwell,  and  be  re- 
united with  them.  It  is  this  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  that 
gives  me  the  hope  that  I  have  of  this  consummation,  and  of 
the  realization  of  my  desire  in  this  direction.  I  have  staked 
all  on  this  gospel,  and  I  have  not  done  it  in  vain.  I  know 


636  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

in  whom  I  trust.  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  lives,  and  that 
he  shall  stand  upon  the  earth  in  the  latter  day,  and,  as  Job 
has  expressed  it,  "Though  worms  shall  destroy  this  body, 
yet  in  my  flesh  shall  I  see  God."— Oct.  C.  R.}  1907,  pp.  4,  5. 
THIS  is  GOD'S  WORK — A  TESTIMONY.  My  brethren 
and  sisters,  I  desire  to  bear  my  testimony  to  you  :  for  I  have 
received  an  assurance  which  has  taken  possession  of  my 
whole  being.  It  has  sunk  deep  into  my  heart ;  it  fills  every 
fiber  of  my  soul ;  so  that  I  feel  to  say  before  this  people, 
and  would  be  pleased  to  have  the  privilege  of  saying  it  be- 
fore the  whole  world,  that  God  has  revealed  unto  me  that 
Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  the  Redeemer 
of  the  world ;  that  Joseph  Smith  is,  was,  and  always  will  be, 
a  prophet  of  God,  ordained  and  chosen  to  stand  at  the  head 
of  the  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of  times,  the  keys  of  which 
were  given  to  him,  and  he  will  hold  them  until  the  winding- 
up  scene — keys  which  will  unlock  the  door  into  the  kingdom 
of  God  to  every  man  who  is  worthy  to  enter,  and  which 
will  close  that  door  against  every  soul  that  will  not  obey  the 
law  of  God.  I  know,  as  I  live,  that  this  is  true,  and  I  bear 
my  testimony  to  its  truth.  If  it  were  the  last  words  I  should 
ever  say  on  earth,  I  would  glory  before  God  my  Father  that 
I  possess  this  knowledge  in  my  soul,  which  I  declare  unto 
you  as  I  would  the  simplest  truths  of  heaven.  I  know  that 
this  is  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  that  God  is  at  the  helm. 
He  presides  over  his  people.  He  presides  over  the  presi- 
dent of  this  Church,and  has  done  so  from  the  Prophet  Joseph 
down  to  the  Prophet  Lorenzo ;  and  he  will  continue  to  pre- 
side over  the  leaders  of  this  Church  until  the  winding-up 
scene.  He  will  not  suffer  it  to  be  given  to  another  people, 
nor  to  be  left  to  men.  He  will  hold  the  reins  in  his  own 
hands;  for  he  has' stretched  out  his  arm  to  do  his  work,  and 
he  will  do  it,  and  have  the  honor  of  it.  At  the  same  time 
God  will  honor  and  magnify  his  servants  in  the  sight  of 
the  people.  He  will  sustain  them  in  righteousness.  He  will 


TESTIMONIES  AND  BLESSINGS         637 

lift  them  on  high,  exalt  them  into  his  presence,  and  they 
will  partake  of  his  glory  forever  and  ever. 

It  is  the  Lord's  work;  and  I  plead  with  you  not  to  for- 
get it.  I  implore  you  not  to  disbelieve  it;  for  it  is  true. 
All  that  the  Lord  has  said  concerning  this  latter-day  work 
will  come  to  pass.  The  world  cannot  prevent  it.  The  blind 
that  will  not  see,  the  deaf  that  will  not  hear,  cannot  prevent 
the  work  from  going  on.  They  may  throw  blocks  before  the 
wheels,  they  may  ridicule,  they  may  malign,  they  may  stir  up 
the  spirit  of  persecution  and  bitterness  against  the  Saints, 
they  may  do  all  in  their  power  to  deceive  the  people  and 
lead  them  astray;  but  God  is  at  the  helm,  and  he  will  lead 
his  people  to  victory.  Men  and  women  may  be  deceived 
by  the  craftiness  of  the  adversary  and  by  the  spirit  of  dark- 
ness that  is  in  the  world ;  they  may  be  deceived  with  Chris- 
tian Science,  with  hypnotism,  with  animal  magnetism,  with 
mesmerism,  with  spiritualism,  and  with  all  the  other  man- 
made  and  demon-stimulated  isms  which  exist  in  the  world ; 
but  the  elect  of  God  shall  see  and  know  the  truth.  They 
will  not  be  blind,  because  they  w*ll  see ;  they  will  not  be 
deaf,  because  they  will  hear ;  and  they  will  walk  in  the  light, 
as  God  is  in  the  light,  that  they  may  have  fellowship  with 
Jesus  Christ  and  that  his  blood  may  cleanse  them  from  all 
their  sins. 

May  God  help  us  to  realize  this.  May  he  deliver  us  from 
secret  combinations,  and  from  the  snares  that  are  set  to 
entrap  our  feet  and  to  win  our  affections  from  the  kingdom 
of  God.  I  repeat  what  I  have  said  scores  of  times,  the 
kingdom  of  God  is  good  enough  for  me.  This  organiza- 
tion of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
meets  all  my  wants,  and  I  have  no  need  to  fly  to  organiza- 
tions that  are  gotten  up  by  men  for  the  purpose  of  making 
money.  I  pray  God  that  his  kingdom  may  be  sufficient  for 
you,  that  you  may  abide  in  the  truth,  and  not  be  led  away 


638  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

by  those  deceptive  spirits  that  have  gone  forth  in  the  world 
to  lead  men  astray. 

Spiritualism  started  in  the  United  States  about  the  time 
that  Joseph  Smith  received  his  visions  from  the  heavens. 
What  more  natural  than  that  Lucifer  should  begin  reveal- 
ing himself  to  men  in  his  cunning  way,  in  order  to  deceive 
them  and  to  distract  their  minds  from  the  truth  that  God  was 
revealing?  And  he  has  kept  it  up  pretty  well  ever  since. 
May  God  bless  Israel,  and  preserve  us  in  the  truth.  May 
he  bless  our  president,  prolong  his  years,  and  continue  unto 
him  the  strength  of  body  and  mind  that  he  possesses  this 
day,  and  even  more  vigor  as  the  years  roll  by.  May  the 
Lord  have  mercy  upon  our  beloved  brother,  President  Can- 
non, who  is  absent  from  us,  and  return  him  once  more  to 
his  home,  and  to  the  bosom  of  the  Church,  if  he  has  not 
willed  otherwise.  This  is  my  humble  prayer,  in  the  name  of 
Jesus.  Amen.— Apr.  C.  R.,  1901,  pp.  72,  73. 

A  TESTIMONY.  There  is  no  salvation  but  in  the  way 
God  has  pointed  out.  There  is  no  hope  of  everlasting  life 
but  through  obedience  to"  the  law  that  has  been  affixed  by 
the  Father  of  life,  "with  whom  there  is  no  variableness, 
neither  shadow  of  turning;"  and  there  is  no  other  way  by 
which  we  may  obtain  that  light  and  exaltation.  Those  mat- 
ters are  beyond  peradventure,  beyond  all  doubt  in  my  mind ; 
I  know  them  to  be  true.  Therefore,  I  bear  my  testimony  to 
you,  my  brethren  and  sisters,  that  the  Lord  God  Omnipotent 
reigneth,  that  he  lives  and  that  his  Son  lives,  even  he  who 
died  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  and  that  he  arose  from  the 
dead ;  that  he  sits  upon  the  right  hand  of  the  Father ;  that 
all  power  is  given  unto  him;  that  we  are  directed  to  call 
upon  God  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.  We  are  told  that  we 
should  remember  him  in  our  homes,  keep  his  holy  name  fresh 
in  our  minds,  and  revere  him  in  our  hearts ;  we  should  call 
upon  him  from  time  to  time,  from  day  to  day;  and,  in  fact, 
every  moment  of  our  lives  we  should  live  so  that  the  desires 


TESTIMONIES  AND  BLESSINGS          639 

of  our  hearts  will  be  a  prayer  unto  God  for  righteousness, 
for  truth,  and  for  the  salvation  of  the  human  family.  Let 
us  guard  ourselves  so  that  there  may  not  come  into  our  souls 
a  single  drop  of  bitterness,  by  which  our  whole  being  might 
be  corroded  and  poisoned  with  anger,  with  hatred,  envy  or 
malice,  or  any  sort  of  evil.  We  should  be  free  from  all  these 
evil  things,  that  we  may  be  filled  with  the  love  of  God,  the 
love  of  truth,  the  love  of  our  fellowmen,  that  we  may  seek 
to  do  good  unto  all  men  all  the  days  of  our  lives,  and  above 
all  things  be  true  to  our  covenants  in  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Clinst.—Apr.  C.  R.,  1909,  p.  6. 

THE  PLEDGE  OF  MY  LIFE.  I  feel  happy,  this  morning 
in  having  the  privilege  to  say  to  you  that  in  the  days  of  my 
childhood  and  early  youth,  I  made  a  pledge  with  God  and 
with  his  people  that  I  would  be  true  to  them.  In  looking 
over  the  experiences  of  my  life,  I  cannot  now  discern,  and 
do  not  remember  a  circumstance,  since  the  beginning  of  my 
experience  in  the  world,  where  I  have  felt,  for  a  moment,  to 
slacken  or  relax  in  the  pledge  and  promise  that  I  made  to 
God  and  to  the  Latter-day  Saints,  in  my  youth.  And  if 
there  is  a  man,  or  a  woman,  in  the  world  that  can  point  out 
to  me  an  instance,  in  all  my  life,  where  I  have  been  untrue 
to  my  pledge,  or  promise,  or  covenant,  I  shall  be  glad  to 
receive  that  information  from  that  man  or  woman.  As  an 
elder  in  Israel  I  tried  to  be  true  to  that  calling ;  I  tried  to  my 
utmost  to  honor  and  magnify  that  calling.  When  I  became 
a  seventy,  I  felt  in  my  heart  to  be  true  to  that  calling,  and 
I  strove,  with  all  the  intelligence  and  fervor  of  my  soul,  to 
be  true  to  it.  I  have  no  knowledge  nor  recollection  of  any 
act  of  mine,  or  any  circumstance  in  my  life  where  t  proved 
untrue  or  unfaithful  to  these  callings  in  the  priesthood  of 
the  Son  of  God.  Later  in  my  life,  when  I  was  called  to  act  as 
an  apostle,  and  was  ordained  an  apostle,  and  set  apart  to  be 
one  of  the  Twelve,  I  strove  to  honor  that  calling,  to  be  true 
to  it,  and  to  my  brethren,  to  the  household  of  faith,  and  to 


640  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

the  covenants  and  obligations  involved  in  receiving  this  holy 
priesthood  which  is  after  the  order  of  the  Son  of  God.  I 
am  not  aware  that  I  ever  violated  one  of  my  obligations  or 
pledges  in  these  callings  to  which  I  have  been  called.  I  have 
sought  to  be  true  and  faithful  to  all  these  things.  I  have 
endeavored  to  be  true  to  my  family ;  and  if  ever  I  have  vio- 
lated one  pledge  or  promise,  or  neglected  one  obligation 
that  rests  upon  me  in  these  relationships,  I  do  not  know  it. 
And  when  I  have  made  pledges  to  the  people  of  God,  or  to 
the  world,  if  ever  1  have  violated  those  pledges  I  do  not 
know  it.  Furthermore,  I  do  not  believe  there  is  a  man  liv- 
ing who  does  know  it,  or  who  can  truthfully  testify  that  I 
ever  did  violate  those  pledges. 

I  stand  before  you  today,  my  brethren  and  sisters  and 
friends,  on  the  ground  that  I  have  tried  to  be  true  to  God, 
to  the  utmost  of  my  knowledge  and  ability ;  that  I  have  tried 
to  be  true  to  my  people,  to  the  utmost  of  my  knowledge  and 
ability;  and  I  have  been  true  to  the  world  in  every  pledge 
and  promise  that  I  have  made  to  the  world,  notwithstanding 
there  have  been  men  who  have  shown  a  disposition  to  make 
it  appear  that  I  was  a  hypocrite,  that  I  was  tvvo-faced;  that 
I  was  one  thing  to  the  world  and  another  thing  in  secret. 
I  want  it  distinctly  understood  that  those  who  have  conveyed 
such  an  idea  as  this  to  mankind  have  been  wilfully  injuring 
me,  wronging  me,  and  falsifying  me  and  my  character  before 
the  people,  and  I  want  it  distinctly  understood  those  things 
must  stop.  They  must  stop  at  least  among  men  who  profess 
to  be  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints.  I  can  endure  to  be  maligned  and  persecuted  by  my 
enemies,  who  are  also  enemies  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  but 
I  do  not  want  to  be  maligned  and  belied  by  men  who  pro- 
fess to  be  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints,  neither  intentionally  nor  otherwise.  Now,  I  trust 
that  you  understand  clearly  what  I  mean.  I  do  not  know 
how  I  can  make  it  much  plainer  or  clearer,  with  the  knowl- 


TESTIMONIES  AND  BLESSINGS         641 

edge  that  I  have  of  language.  Then,  I  repeat,  as  the  Lord 
has  helped  me  in  the  past  to  be  true  to  my  covenants,  that 
I  have  entered  into  with  him  and  with  you,  with  my  breth- 
ren and  with  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints,  so  by  his  help  and  by  his  blessing  I  propose  to  be 
true  throughout  the  future  of  my  life,  whether  I  am  per- 
mitted to  live  long  or  short ;  it  matters  not  to  me.  While  I 
live,  I  hope  to  be  a  true  man,  an  honest  man,  a  man  who  can 
face  all  mankind  and,  at  last,  who  can  stand  before  God, 
the  Judge  of  the  quick  and  the  dead  and  not  quail  for  what 
I  have  done  in  the  world.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1910,  pp.  2,  3. 

A  BLESSING.  I  bless  you  with  all  my  soul,  because  you 
love  the  truth,  and  you  manifest  it.  There  is  nothing  in 
God's  world  that  draws  men  and  women  so  near  to  my  heart 
as  that  they  love  the  truth  and  that  they  love  God,  that  they 
love  the  cause  of  Zion  and  are  devoted  to  the  interests  of 
the  Church.  This  endears  men  and  women  to  my  heart;  I 
love  them  when  they  love  this  work  and  when  they  show 
their  interest  in  it.  It  lifts  my  soul  to  heaven  and  fills  it 
with  joy  unspeakable.— Oct.  C.  R.,  1908,  p.  97. 

A  TESTIMONY.  My  brethren  and  sisters,  I  know  that 
my  Redeemer  lives.  I  know,  as  I  know  I  live,  that  in  per- 
son he  has  visited  man  in  our  time  and  day,  and  that  we  are 
not  now  dependent  alone  on  the  history  of  the  past  for  the 
knowledge  that  we  possess,  of  which  record  is  borne  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  shed  abroad  in  the  hearts  of  all  who  enter  into 
the  covenant  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  But  we  have  the  re- 
newed and  later  witness  and  manifestation  of  heavenly 
visions  and  of  the  visitation  of  God  the  Father  and  Christ 
the  Son,  to  this  their  footstool ;  and  they  have  in  person  de- 
clared their  entity,  their  being,  and  they  have  manifested 
their  glory.  They  have  stretched  forth  their  hands  to  ac- 
complish their  work — the  work  of  God,  and  not  the  work  of 
man — and  while  those  who  have  been  faithful  shall  be 
crowned  with  glory  and  honor  in  the  presence  of  God,  the 

42 


642  GOSPEL  DOCTRINE 

honor  and  the  glory,  the  credit  and  the  praise,  for  the  con- 
tinuance and  for  the  advancement  and  growth  of  the  king- 
dom of  God  in  the  earth,  will  be  due  to  the  Father  and  the 
Son  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  whose  power  and  whose  agency, 
whose  influence  and  purpose,  have  been  behind  the  work 
of  God  every  moment  since  it  was  first  given  to  man.  It  is 
by  this  power  that  it  has  grown  and  continued,  and  has  be- 
come what  it  is,  and  it  will  continue  to  grow  and  spread, 
until  it  shall  fill  the  earth  with  the  glory  of  God,  and  with 
the  knowledge  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son,  whom  to  know 
is  life  eternal.  This  is  my  testimony  to  you,  my  brethren 
and  sisters,  and  I  bear  witness  of  it  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  Amen. — Improvement  Era,  Vol.  12,  Septem- 
ber, 1909,  p.  914. 

I  KNOW  THAT  MY  REDEEMER  LIVES.  I  know  that  my 
Redeemer  lives.  We  have  all  the  testimony  and  all  the  evi- 
dence of  this  great  and  glorious  truth  that  the  world  has, 
that  is,  all  that  the  so-called  Christian  world  possesses ;  and 
in  addition  to  all  that  they  have,  we  have  the  testimony  of 
the  inhabitants  of  this  western  continent,  to  whom  the  Savior 
appeared  and  delivered  his  gospel,  the  same  as  he  delivered 
it  to  the  Jews.  In  addition  to  all  this  new  testimony,  and 
the  testimony  of  the  holy  scriptures  from  the  Jews,  we  have 
the  testimony  of  the  modern  prophet,  Joseph  Smith,  who 
saw  the  Father  and  the  Son,  and  who  has  borne  record  of 
them  to  the  world,  whose  testimony  was  sealed  with  his 
blood  and  is  in  force  upon  the  world  today.  We  have  the 
testimony  of  others,  who  witnessed  the  presence  of  the  Son 
of  God  in  the  Kirtland  temple,  when  he  appeared  to  them 
there,  and  the  testimony  of  Joseph,  and  of  Sidney  Rigdon, 
who  declared  that  they  were  the  last  witnesses  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Therefore,  I  say  again  I  know  that  my  Redeemer 
lives ;  for  in  the  mouths  of  these  witnesses  this  truth  has 
been  established  in  my  mind. 

Besides  these  testimonies,  I  have  received  the  witness 


TESTIMONIES  AND  BLESSINGS          643 

of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  my  own  heart,  which  exceeds  all 
other  evidences,  for  it  bears  record  to  me,  to  my  very  soul, 
of  the  existence  of  my  Redeemer,  Jesus  Christ.  I  know  that 
he  lives,  and  that  in  the  last  day  he  shall  stand  upon  the 
earth,  that  he  shall  come  to  the  people  who  shall  be  prepared 
for  him,  as  a  bride  is  prepared  for  the  Bridegroom  when  he 
shall  come.  I  believe  in  the  divine  mission  of  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith,  and  I  have  every  evidence  that  I  need — at 
least  enough  to  convince  me,  of  the  divinity  of  his  mission. 

I  am  proud  to  say  that  I  have  accepted,  and  have  tried 
to  keep  and  honor,  every  word  that  has  proceeded  from  the 
mouth  of  God  through  him.  As  it  is  written,  "Man  shall 
not  live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth 
out  of  the  mouth  of  God,"  no  one  will  dare  to  accuse  me  of 
side-tracking  from  or  of  refusing  to  obey  any  doctrine  taught 
by  or  revealed  through  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith. — Im- 
provement Era,  Vol.  14,  1910,  p.  73. 

TESTIMONY.  Now,  there  are  many  other  things,  but  I 
cannot  tell  them  all  to  you.  I  begin  to  feel  that  I  am 
getting  to  be  an  old  man,  or  rather  a  young  man  in  an  old 
body.  I  think  I  am  just  about  as  young  as  I  ever  was  in 
my  life  in  spirit.  I  love  the  truth  today  more  than  I  ever 
did  before,  because  I  see  it  more  clearly,  I  understand  it 
better  from  day  to  day  by  the  promptings  and  inspiration  of 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  that  is  vouchsafed  to  me;  but  my 
body  gets  tired,  and  I  want  to  tell  you,  sometimes  my  pour 
old  heart  quivers  considerably. — Oct.  C.  R.,  1917,  pp.  6,  7. 


President  Joseph  F.  Smith 


An  Appreciation. 

President  Joseph  Fielding  Smith,  sixth  and  beloved 
President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints,  has  without  question  seen  longer  service  in  the 
Church  than  has  any  other  living  man.  For  sixty-five  years 
he  has  been  in  the  active  ministry,  under  a  great  variety  of 
callings;  for  fifty-one  years  he  has  held  the  apostolic  call- 
ing; since  1867  he  has  been  one  of  the  general  authorities 
of  the  Church;  during  seventeen  years  he  has  been  Presi- 
dent of  the  Church.  No  other  man  is  so  beloved  in  the 
Church.  To  advertise  that  President  Smith  will  be  at  a 
meeting  is  to  warn  the  people  that  standing  room  will  be  at 
a  premium.  His  words  are  accepted  as  of  inspired  author- 
ity ;  his  acts  as  of  an  honest  man,  tried  long  and  severely  in 
the  crucible  of  life. 

The  confidence  of  the  people  in  their  President,  Prophet, 
Seer  and  Revelator,  has  not  come  alone  from  the  exalted 
positions  he  has  so  long  occupied.  The  Latter-day  Saints 
have  been  gathered  from  all  corners  of  the  earth,  and  from 
all  walks,  after  they  had  become  convinced  that  the  gospel 
as  restored  through  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  is  of  certain 
truth.  Intelligence  rules  in  the  earthly  Zion  The  leaders 
of  the  people  are  subjected  to  searching  consideration  by  the 
people,  and  the  confidence  given  them  is  in  proportion  to 
their  deserts.  It  is,  therefore,  a  noble  tribute  to  the  worthi- 
ness of  the  man,  Joseph  F.  Smith,  that  he  is  the  synonym 
for  all  that  the  people  respect  and  hold  dear. 

Surely,  this  man  who  presides  over  the  Church,  and 


AN  APPRECIATION  645 

whose  life  is  an  open  book,  has  been  prepared  for  his  labor. 
If  weakness  were  in  him  he  would  have  had  ample  opportu- 
nity to  fall.  From  his  birth,  the  spirit  of  the  great  latter- 
day  work  has  hovered  over  him;  and  with  every  passing 
year  he  has  been  immersed  in  the  history  of  the  Church. 

When  he  was  born,  in  Far  West,  on  November  13, 
1838,  apostasy,  jealousy,  persecution  and  the  beckoning 
hands  of  untruth  were  shaking  the  Church.  The  Church 
did  not  fall,  but  the  hearts  of  the  faithful  were  sorely  tried, 
and  even  the  baby,  Joseph  F.,  must  have  assimilated  some 
of  the  solemnity  of  those  days  when  the  Church  was  being 
purified  for  its  future  work.  It  was  a  preparation  of  noble 
extent  to  sit,  in  those  early  years,  on  the  knees  of  his  patri- 
arch father  or  of  his  prophet  uncle,  even  though  the  wide 
import  of  their  conversation  was  not  understood  by  the  boy. 
It  was  a  training  in  steely  strength,  even  for  the  child,  to 
witness  the  homecoming  of  the  bodies  of  his  murdered  father 
and  uncle.  For  such  robbery  of  the  dearest  in  life  the  hu- 
man breast  naturally  and  instinctively  clamors  for  revenge. 
Yet,  the  whole  life  of  the  boy,  grown  to  manhood,  has  been 
that  of  forgiving  and  loving,  so  that  all  may  be  made  to  see 
the  truth.  Who  knows  at  what  cost  the  man  within  has 
been  conquered.  The  Church  has  suffered  such  unjust  yet 
persistent  opposition  from  the  beginning  that  one  wonders 
that  it  retains  its  gentle  love  for  all  the  children  of  men. 

It  was  splendid  preparation  for  the  man  who  was  to  be 
in  God's  harness  all  the  years  of  a  long  life  to  witness  the 
exodus  of  Nauvoo.  Home  and  lands,  household  property 
and  trinkets  of  sentiment — all  had  to  be  left  behind.  The 
driven  people  were  in  the  desert  with  their  God,  and  lo! 
their  faith  waxed  strong.  It  was  during  the  exodus  that 
President  Smith  learned  lessons  of  faith  that  never  have 
been  forgotten.  Their  cattle  were  lost  and  their  hope  was 
gone,  but  the  praying  mother,  in  communion  with  the  Source 
of  Truth,  arose  and  went  directly  to  the  place  where  the 


646  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

oxen  had  strayed.     Though  only  eight  years  old  the  boy 
drove  an  ox  team  across  Iowa. 

"In  1848,  when  nine  years  old,  I  drove  a  four-ox  team 
across  the  plains  to  Salt  Lake  City,"  writes  President  Smith, 
in  an  album  of  a  friend.  That  was  training  for  the  boy! 
From  the  days  of  that  blistering,  dusty  journey  there  was 
no  relapse  to  a  longing  for  the  easy  things  of  life.  After 
the  arrival  in  the  valley  came  the  toilsome  conquest  of 
Widow  Smith's  farm.  The  father  was  gone  and  the  children 
were  young.  Our  President,  from  his  own  life,  can  under- 
stand the  lot  of  the  widow,  and  the  fatherless. 

Then  the  mother  died.  The  strong  spirit  and  wise  mind 
could  no  longer  guide  the  boy.  The  father  had  been  mur- 
dered in  cold  blood  because  he  was  fearless  in  the  cause  of 
truth ;  the  mother  had  died  from  the  strain  and  sorrow  of 
a  life  tossed  in  the  furious  storm  of  those  days ;  no  material 
wealth  was  his.  Thus  stood  the  fourteen-year  old  boy  who 
was  to  become  the  leader  of  his  people.  Men  are  shorn  of 
earthly  support  that  they  may  grow  strong  in  Godly  ways ! 

The  training  had  been  severe,  but  of  infinite  value. 
When  the  boy  was  only  fifteen  years  old  he  was  called  to 
go  on  a  mission  to  the  Sandwich  Islands.  By  the  labor  of 
his  hands  he  worked  his  way  to  California ;  by  more  labor, 
earned  his  passage  to  the  islands.  To  object  or  to  question 
was  not  possible  for  one  who  had  survived  his  training.  Dur- 
ing that  first  mission  the  spirit  of  the  work  came  upon  him. 
In  sermon,  by  visit,  through  his  quiet  influence,  he  led  men 
and  women  into  the  way  of  everlasting  truth.  By  the  power 
of  the  Priesthood  he  held,  he  healed  the  sick,  drove  out  evil 
spirits  and  brought  peace  to  the  souls  of  those  who  were 
heavy  laden. 

After  nearly  five  years  he  was  allowed  to  return  home. 
Again  he  had  to  work  his  way.  At  last  he  was  again  with 
the  body  of  his  people  in  Salt  Lake  City,  but  penniless.  The 
Lord  does  not  always  reward  in  gold  and  silver.  He  was  not 


AN  APPRECIATION  647 

permitted  to  remain  home  long,  for  mission  succeeded  mis- 
sion. From  the  Sandwich  Islands  he  was  called  to  England 
for  three  years ;  then  from  England  again  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands.  To  preach  the  gospel  without  purse  and  scrip  be- 
came the  order  of  his  life. 

Joseph  F.  Smith's  ceaseless  devotion  to  the  gospel  did 
not  escape  the  notice  of  the  watchful,  keen-eyed  leader, 
Brigham  Young,  who  loved  with  a  mighty  love  the  memory 
of  the  martyrs  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith.  It  was  a  joy  to 
the  Prophet  Brigham  Young  to  find  one  of  the  blood  of  the 
martyrs,  giving  himself  to  the  cause  for  which  they  died. 
In  various  ways  did  President  Young  test  the  materials  of 
which  Joseph  F.  Smith  was  made.  However,  the  long  and 
hard  training  of  boyhood  and  the  insistent  discipline  in  the 
mission  field  had  not  been  in  vain.  President  Young  found 
him  loyal  to  his  family,  his  country,  his  Church  and  his  God. 
Not  even  his  bitterest  enemy  will  deny  that  President  Smith 
is  loyal. 

After  some  years,  on  July  1,  1866,  a  beautiful  and  sol- 
emn day,  President  Brigham  Young  ordained  Joseph  F. 
Smith  to  the  apostleship.  A  year  later,  in  October,  1867,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve.  If  there  can  be 
any  talk  in  the  Church  of  Christ  of  earning  a  position,  Joseph 
F.  Smith  had  earned  his  place  in  the  apostolic  quorum,  by 
his  purity,  his  intelligence,  his  integrity  and  his  activity  in 
behalf  of  the  Church.  Moreover,  the  people  of  the  Church 
delight  to  honor  the  blood  of  the  Prophet  who  was  God's 
instrument  in  the  mighty  work  of  the  restoration  of  the 
gospel.  Welcome  was  he,  when  he  entered  upon  his  work 
as  one  of  the  general  authorities  of  the  Church. 

As  a  member  of  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve,  Joseph  F. 
Smith  showed  the  same  activity  that  had  so  emphatically 
characterized  his  former  labors.  From  settlement  to  settle- 
ment he  traveled,  to  counsel,  to  preach  and  to  take  active 
part  in  the  building  of  the  West,  which  was  ye.t  in  its  swad- 


648  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

dling  clothes  of  conquest.  Vigorous  were  his  words  wher- 
ever he  went.  Without  doubt  was  his  faith.  His  testimony 
of  the  gospel  was  as  the  highest  knowledge.  He  was  then 
as  now  a  fearless  champion  of  truth. 

At  the  time  Apostle  Smith  assumed  a  place  among  the 
general  authorities  of  the  Church,  Utah  conditions  were  rap- 
idly changing.  Many  non-members  of  the  Church,  who  had 
come  in  to  share  in  the  bounties  of  the  desert  made  to  blos- 
som by  the  Saints,  could  not  content  themselves  with  their 
rich  material  harvest,  but  must  needs  take  up  arms  against 
the  Church.  When  the  leaders  of  the  Church  were  charged 
with  disloyalty  to  the  country,  when  their  motives  were 
painted  as  those  of  devils,  when  the  whole  system  of  "Mor- 
mon" faith  was  branded  as  the  rottenest  immorality,  the  peo- 
ple who  remembered  the  days  of  Carthage  and  Nauvoo  had 
difficulty  to  keep  down  the  cry  of  vengeance.  Across  the 
weary  desert  they  had  trailed,  leaving  many  by  the  way ;  in 
the  sweat  of  their  brows  they  had  won  the  wilderness  to 
their  use,  and  all  this  that  they  might  serve  unmolested,  their 
holy  God,  in  a  worship  founded  on  purity  and  truth.  It  was 
then  that  the  clear-visioned,  clear-thinking  leaders  raised 
their  voices  in  protest  against  further  injustice.  Apostle 
Smith,  a  man  of  deep  affections,  had  fought  away  from  him- 
self the  desire  for  revenge  for  the  beastly  murder  of  his 
manly  father;  but,  being  a  man  of  strength,  he  could  not 
submit  indifferently  to  the  new  injustice  that  was  proposed. 
The  Fighting  Apostle  they  called  him,  as  he  hurled  back 
the  untruths  about  "Mormonism,"  and  his  relentless  watch- 
fulness became  a  deterrent  power  among  those  who  planned 
evil  for  a  good  and  peaceful  people. 

A  fighting  apostle  he  has  always  been — fighting  ior 
the  cause  of  truth.  Yet,  Joseph  F.  Smith  is  temperament- 
ally a  man  of  peace.  Gentle  and  kind  are  his  ways.  A  gen- 
tleman, is  the  instinctive  appellation  bestowed  upon  him  by 
all  who  meet  him.  In  character,  voice  and  manner  he  i« 


AN  APPRECIATION  649 

the  dignified  peacemaker.  Nevertheless,  his  loyalty  is  such, 
and  his  convictions  are  so  firmly  established,  that  evil  may 
not  be  spoken  about  truth,  without  arousing  the  lion  within 
him.  To  measure  the  ground ;  to  give  the  foe  full  place  and 
warning,  to  try  strength  according  to  the  laws  of  decency, 
but  never  to  give  quarter  to  evil  or  untruth  or  injustice — 
that  is  the  method  of  Joseph  F.  Smith. 

In  time,  the  years  of  toil  wore  upon  President  Brigham 
Young,  who  asked  that  more  counselors,  to  act  as  assistants, 
be  given  him.  Among  those  whom  he  chose  for  this  pur- 
pose was  Joseph  F.  Smith.  This  indicated  that  during  his 
apostolic  career  he  had  not  forfeited  the  confidence  of  the 
president,  that  he  had  won  earlier  in  his  life.  When,  at 
length,  the  great  founder  of  Utah  passed  away,  and  the  first 
presidency  was  again  reorganized,  the  abilities  and  charac- 
ter of  Apostle  Smith  made  him,  under  God's  inspiration,  a 
counselor  to  President  John  Taylor.  Under  the  adminis- 
trations of  Presidents  Taylor,  Woodruff  and  Snow,  for 
twenty-one  years,  President  Smith  remained  as  a  counselor 
in  the  first  presidency,  until  at  length,  in  the  providence  of 
God,  he  became  the  president  of  the  Church. 

The  vast  gathering  in  the  great  Tabernacle,  November 
10,  1901,  will  ever  be  remembered  by  those  present.  The 
Priesthood  of  the  Church  was  seated  according  to  their  of- 
fices in  the  Priesthood.  One  by  one  the  quorums  arose, 
elders,  seventies,  high  priests  and  the  others,  and  voted  to 
sustain  the  appointment  of  Joseph  Fielding  Smith  to  the 
Presidency.  In  his  vigorous,  later  manhood,  his  eye  clear, 
his  voice  distinct,  his  spirit  compelling,  he  was  vividly  the 
greatest  among  the  thousands  of  able  men,  the  flower  of  a 
vigorous  people,  who  had  assembled  there  that  day. 

The  day  was  the  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  for  many  years 
before,  his  attainment  of  the  exalted  position  of  the  Presi- 
dency had  been  predicted  with  the  voice  of  authority. 

Of  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  Church  un- 


650  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

der  Joseph  F.  Smith's  presidency  nothing  need  be  said — for 
we  live  in  it  and  know  its  eloquent  message.  The  stakes 
at  home,  the  missions  in  Europe  and  in  the  islands  of  the  sea, 
have  been  visited  by  the  President  in  his  official  capacity. 
Prosperity,  good  will,  spiritual  power  and  growth,  over- 
shadow the  Church.  The  stakes  of  Zion  have  been  in- 
creased, the  wards  multiplied,  hundreds  of  beautiful  meeting 
houses  have  been  constructed,  the  Priesthood  has  risen  to  a 
fuller  recognition  of  its  place  in  the  Church,  the  temples  have 
become  crowded,  new  temples  are  being  built,  new  converts 
have  been  added  in  mighty  numbers,  and  in  a  thousand  other 
ways  has  the  Church  prospered;  and  above  all,  in  the  face 
of  a  most  bitter  persecution,  which  has  been  heralded 
throughout  the  world,  the  faith  of  the  people  has  increased 
until  it  is  nigh  unto  impregnable.  If  any  doubt  all  this,  let 
him  journey  over  the  Church,  then  visit  one  of  the  general 
conferences  of  the  Church.  There  is  faith  in  Israel! 

Not  only  long  but  varied  has  been  the  experience  of 
this  great  man  who  presides  over  the  Church.  True  to  the 
genius  of  "Mormonism"  he  has  been  closely  identified  with 
all  the  affairs  of  the  community  in  which  he  has  lived.  For 
seven  successive  terms  he  was  a  member  of  the  Utah  legis- 
lature. When  the  Johnston  army  pantomime  was  in  prog- 
ress, President  Smith  joined  the  militia  and  assisted  in  mak- 
ing preparations  to  protect  the  homes  of  the  people.  He 
has  helped  to  locate  settlements  and  to  find  ways  for  bring- 
ing water  upon  the  thirsting  land.  He  has  encouraged  all 
legitimate  business,  and  as  far  as  time  has  permitted,  has 
taken  part  in  it.  From  his  earliest  life  he  has  managed  his 
farm,  and  even  today,  with  his  sons,  has  built  one  of  the 
most  modern  livestock  farms  in  the  West,  as  an  example  to 
others. 

Education,  guided  in  schools,  was  largely  denied  him, 
but  educated  is  President  Smith.  He  has  read  widely,  spoken 
with  many  men  of  many  minds,  and  has  thought  deeply. 


AN  APPRECIATION  651 

Of  broad  and  generous  sympathies  with  everything  that  is 
noble  and  good,  he  has  acquired  a  culture,  which  none  dares 
question.  Schools,  the  public  press,  the  theater,  music  and 
the  fine  arts  have  been  encouraged  by  him.  As  a  most  il- 
luminating sidelight  upon  his  wisdofti  is  the  fact  that  if  not 
all  of  a  family  can  be  educated,  he  insists  that  the  girls  must 
be  given  the  first  chance,  for  they  are  the  mothers  and  mak- 
ers of  men. 

To  those  who  do  not  know  President  Smith,  it  must 
seem  strange  that  the  honors  that  have  almost  overwhelmed 
him,  have  all  come  unsought.  President  Smith  is  a  modest 
man.  Like  all  truly  great  men  he  is  not  immersed  in 
thoughts  of  his  own  greatness.  Rather  does  he  admiringly 
place  the  power  he  observes  in  other  men  above  his  own; 
Nevertheless,  and  most  naturally,  position  after  position  in- 
volving trust  has  come  to  him,  though  he  has  never  sought 
one.  Those  who  must  find  flaws  in  the  Church  point  out 
that  President  Smith  is  officially  connected  with  many  busi- 
ness enterprises.  Yet,  those  who  find  fault  with  this  condi- 
tion will  not  realize  that  men  who  can  be  absolutely  trusted 
to  guard  the  affairs  of  others  as  they  would  their  own,  are 
everywhere  sought  after.  President  Smith's  demonstrated 
integrity  has  brought  many  offices  which  no  doubt  he  would 
gladly  relinquish  to  others.  But  "Mormon,"  Jew  and  Gen- 
tile know  that  as  far  as  President  Smith  can  control  things, 
only  honor  and  justice  and  simple  honesty  will  prevail  wher- 
ever he  is  found. 

During  the  Smoot  investigations  it  seemed  as  if  the 
whole  United  States  were  arrayed  against  the  relatively  few 
people  who,  during  half  a  century,  had  given  themselves  to 
the  conquest  of  the  Great  American  Desert.  The  charges 
filed  against  this  people,  if  sustained,  would  make  the  "Mor- 
mon" people  unfit  to  dwell  in  the  "land  of  the  free  and  the 
home  of  the  brave."  To  face  the  investigating  committee 
composed  of  the  best  minds  of  the  Senate  and  House  of 


652  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

Representatives  of  the  United  States  Congress,  many  were 
subpoenaed.  The  first  witness  was  President  Smith.  For- 
tunately, the  hearing  is  preserved  and  printed  so  that  all  may 
read  it.  Matching  mind  and  will  and  heart  and  sense  against 
the  great  ones  of  the  land,  President  Smith  was  easily  their 
compeer.  Read  it.  Who  has  ever  heard  that  hearing  used 
as  a  campaign  document  against  "Mormons"?  When  Jo- 
seph F.  Smith's  history  is  written,  his  mighty  contest  with 
the  most  authoritative  body  in  the  land  will  make  his  figure 
stand  out  in  noble  relief.  Among  the  men  of  earth,  high  or 
low,  President  Smith  is  never  at  a  disadvantage. 

Those  who  had  had  even  slight  acquaintance  with  Pres- 
ident Smith  were  not  surprised  at  the  evidence  of  his  power 
among  men.  In  all  his  public  work  he  is  masterful.  He  is  en- 
dowed with  high  physical  attractiveness,  his  musical  voice  is 
compelling,  his  language  chaste  and  correct,  and  his  thoughts 
appeal  to  the  intellect  as  well  as  to  the  emotions.  Those 
who  have  seen  him  before  the  ten  thousand  at  the  great 
tabernacle  in  Salt  Lake  City,  have  no  fear  that  he  may  not 
be  measured  with  the  men  he  meets. 

Perhaps  the  best  evidence  of  the  high  intellect  of  Pres- 
ident Smith  is  shown  in  his  clear  understanding  and  expla- 
nation of  the  principles  of  the  gospel.  Men  often  sink  to 
oblivion  in  quagmires  of  theological  vagueness.  In  matters 
of  theological  doctrine  the  President  is  lucid  as  the  noon-day 
light.  Some  few  years  ago,  certain  men,  loving  to  conjec- 
ture the  improbable,  insisted  on  knowing  what  would  happen 
if  all  the  men  holding  the  Priesthood  were  to  die,  save  one 
elder.  At  one  of  the  great  conferences  (general),  before  ten 
thousand  assembled  Saints,  President  Smith,  in  one-half 
dozen  sentences  cleared  up  the  whole  subject.  It  would  be 
the  privilege  and  duty  of  the  one  remaining  elder  to  organ- 
ize again  the  whole  Church  with  apostles,  prophets,  etc.,  ac- 
cording to  the  revelation !  The  powers  and  purpose  and 
duty  of  the  priesthood  were  thus  driven  into  the  understand- 


AN  APPRECIATION  653 

ings  of  the  people,  as  they  never  had  been  before.  His  ser- 
mons abound  in  such  clarifying  statements,  backed  by  a  sim- 
ple, unfailing  faith  that  looks  for  simplicity  rather  than  mys- 
tery in  the  things  of  God. 

Perhaps  enough  has  been  said.  The  man  of  whom  we 
write  is  tender  and  gentle,  and  withal  does  not  love  much 
praise.  To  him  and  his  families  many  children  have  been 
born.  To  them  he  is  loyal  with  all  his  power,  for  he  well 
knows  that  loyalty,  with  all  other  virtues,  begins  at  home. 
Over  his  families  he  watches  with  tender  solicitude.  They 
in  turn  love  him  with  an  invariable  love.  It  is  common 
knowledge  that  when  the  children  were  young,  his  rest  was 
not  easy  if  he  had  not  seen  the  little  ones  properly  tucked 
away  for  the  night.  The  same  father-heart  beats  for  the 
people  whose  accepted  leader  he  is.  The  hearts  of  the  peo- 
ple ache  over  the  long  hours  he  spends  in  the  office  working 
out  the  affairs  of  the  Church,  especially  now  that  he  is  no 
longer  as  young  as  he  once  was.  But,  he  is  not  to  be  dis- 
suaded. He  must  see  his  people  tucked  away  for  the  night, 
before  his  heart  will  be  at  peace.  So  works  love !  and  who 
shall  say  him  nay,  whose  care  from  boyhood  has  been  the 
welfare  of  his  people? 

"Has  this  man  no  faults?"  asks  the  green-eyed  critic. 
To  be  sure  he  has,  for  he  is  mortal.  But,  this  writing  is  not 
to  show  his  faults;  and  indeed,  the  writer  does  not  know 
them,  any  more  than  he  knows  the  full  virtue  of  this  man 
who  for  eighty  long  years  has  lived  his  life  openly  among  his 
people,  and  who  is  the  freest  from  adverse  criticism  in  his 
community.  Men  are  not  measured  by  their  faults,  but  by 
their  worthy  deeds  and  qualities.  In  the  scales  of  eternal 
justice  the  main  requirement  is  that  our  virtues  outweigh 
our  failings.  Curiously  enough,  the  only  current  criticism 
of  President  Smith,  among  those  who  oppose  him,  is  that  he 
is  too  loyal  to  his  people,  his  friends,  his  convictions.  Is  not 
that  the  eternal  cry  of  the  enemy  who  reaches  out  for  de- 


654  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

serters  ?    In  every  manly  quality,  friend  and  foe  agree  that 
he  reaches  above  the  majority  of  men. 

Sure  is  our  President  of  his  reward.  For  him  God  will 
richly  provide.  Our  question  may  rather  be,  has  he  had 
during  the  earth's  journey,  his  full  measure  of  reward? 
Have  we  done  our  full  duty?  For  the  cause  of  the  Church 
he  was  bereft  of  father  and  mother.  In  the  service  of  the 
Church  he  has  been  unable  to  use  his  splendid  talents  for  the 
gathering  of  wealth — in  our  day  he  might  justly  be  called  a 
poor  man.  The  ease  of  life  has  been  denied  him,  for  almost 
daily  he  has  been  "under  orders."  Above  ail,  as  a  leader 
in  Israel,  the  calumny  and  hatred  of  the  Church  have  been 
heaped  upon  him.  Only  a  few  years  ago,  when  past  his 
prime,  the  most  heartless  persecution  to  which  any  member 
of  the  Church  has  been  submitted  was  his.  For  several  years 
an  influential  newspaper,  standing  at  that  time  for  the  per- 
secution of  the  Church,  by  means  fair  or  foul,  printed  daily 
vile  cartoons  of  President  Smith  and  equally  vile  editorials 
about  him  and  his  work.  Every  indignity  conceivable  to  the 
human  mind  was  offered  him  because  he  was  the  embodi- 
ment of  the  Church. 

Should  the  question  be  put  to  him,  he  would  answer 
that  he  has  had  a  rich  reward.  Perhaps  he  feels,  let  it  be 
hoped  he  does,  the  outpouring  of  loving  thoughts  from  the 
people  whenever  his  name  is  mentioned.  He  has  been  blessed 
to  serve.  That  is  also  a  great  reward  for  effort.  His  life 
has  been  crowned  with  the  assurance,  from  all,  that  his  work 
has  been  well  done.  That  is  the  most  satisfying  reward. 

May  his  health  be  preserved  and  his  life  be  lengthened 
out.  There  is  much  work  yet  to  be  done,  and  men  do  not 
frequently  rise  to  the  fulness  of  his  measure !  At  the  begin- 
ning of  his  eighty-first  year,  the  people  give  loving  greetings 
and  good  wishes  and  heartfelt  gratitude,  to  Joseph  F.  Smith, 
President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 
— Dr.  John  A.  Widtsoe,  1918;  also  in  Improvement  Era, 
Vol.  18,  November,  1914,  pp.  38-45. 


Reminiscences 

The  Era  has  asked  me  to  write  a  few  remembrances  of 
incidents  connected  with  my  personal  association  with  the 
late  President  Josephh  F.  Smith,  while  they  are  yet  fresh 
in  memory,  and  it  is  a  pleasure  to  comply. 

The  first  time  I  ever  remember  seeing  Joseph  F.  Smith 
was  in  the  then  little  village  of  Wellsville,  in  the  year 
1867.  He  was  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  and  had  re- 
cently been  chosen  one  of  the  twelve'  apo.stles.  Presi- 
dent Brigham  Young  and  company  were  making  a  tour 
of  the  northern  settlements,  and  the  new  apostle,  Joseph 
F.  Smith,  was  among  the  number.  I  heard  him  preach 
in  the  old  meetinghouse  at  Wellsville,  and  I  remarked  at 
the  time  what  a  fine  specimen  of  young  manhood  he  was — 
strong,  powerful,  with  a  beautiful  voice,  so  full  of  sym- 
pathy and  affection,  so  appealing  in  its  tone,  that  he  im- 
pressed me,  although  I  was  a  youth  of  but  eighteen.  He 
was  a  handsome  man. 

At  that  time  I  was  clerking  in  a  little  store  owned 
by  Father  Ira  Ames,  one  of  the  old  Kirtland  veterans  of 
the  Church.  Apostle  George  A.  Smith  was  one  of  that 
company  and  he  was  entertained  at  Brother  Ames'  home, 
where  I  also  lived.  I  recall  that  at  the  dinner  table,  Father 
Ames  asked  George  A.  who  of  the  Smiths  this  young  man 
Joseph  F.  was. 

George  A.  replied  that  he  was  Hyrum's  son ;  his  mother 
Mary  Fielding  Smith. 

Brother  Ames  remarked  that  he  looked  like  a  likely 
young  fellow,  and  George  A.  replied  in  about/ these  words: 

"Yes,  I  think  he  will  be  all  right.  His  father  and 
mother  left  him  when  he  was  a  child,  and  we  have  been 
looking  after  him  to  try  and  help  him  along.  We  first  sent 
him  to  school,  but  it  was  not  long  before  he  licked  the 


656  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

schoolmaster,  and  could  not  go  to  school.  Then  we  sent 
him  on  a  mission,  and  he  did  pretty  well  at  that.  I  think  he 
will  make  good  as  an  apostle." 

Some  years  ago  I  related  this  incident  to  President 
Smith,  and  he  told  me  that  the  reason  he  had  trouble  with 
the  schoolmaster  was  that  the  schoolmaster  had  a  leather 
^trap  with  which  he  used  to  chastise  the  children.  He  was 
a  rather  hard-hearted  schoolmaster,  one  of  the  olden  type 
that  believed  in  inflicting  bodily  punishment. 

President  Smith  said:  "My  little  sister  was  called  up 
(  Aunt  Martha,  now  living  in  Provo)  to  be  punished.  I  saw 
the  schoolmaster  bring  out  the  leather  strap,  and  he  told 
the  child  to  hold  out  her  hand.  I  could  not  stand  for  that. 
I  just  spoke  up  loudly  and  said,  'Don't  whip  her  with  that,' 
and  at  that  he  came  at  me  and  was  going  to  whip  me,  and 
instead  of  him  whipping  me,  I  licked  him  good  and  plenty/' 

At  the  time  of  this  incident,  Joseph  F.  (for  by  that 
name  he  was  affectionately  called)  was  about  fifteen  years 
of  age.  But  he  was  a  strong,  powerful  youth,  and  his  big 
heart  could  not  tolerate  such  punishment,  especially  if  it 
bordered  on  the  cruel,  to  be  inflicted  upon  a  little  child. 

Another  incident  which  I  have  heard  him  relate  which 
shows  his  courage  and  integrity,  occurred  when  he  was  re- 
turning from  his  mission  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  in  the  fall 
of  1857.  He  came  home  by  way  of  Los  Angeles,  by  what  was 
called  the  Southern  Route.  In  that  year  Johnston's  Army 
was  on  the  move  for  Utah,  and  naturally  enough  there  was 
much  excitement  and  bitterness  of  feeling  concerning  the 
"Mormons."  In  southern  California,  just  after  the  little 
train  of  wagons  had  traveled  only  a  short  distance  and  made 
their  camp,  several  anti-"Mormon"  tcughs  rode  into  the 
camp  on  horseback,  cursing  and  swearing  and  threatening 
what  they  would  to  the  "Mormons."  Joseph  F.  was  a 
little  distance  from  the  camp  gathering  wood  for  the  fire, 
but  he  saw  that  the  few  members  of  his  own  party  had 


REMINISCENCES  657 

cautiously  gone  into  the  brush  clown  the  creek,  out  of  sight. 
When  he  saw  that,  he  told  me,  the  thought  came  into  his 
mind,  "Shall  I  run  from  these  fellows  ?  Why  should  I 
fear  them  ?"  With  that  he  marched  up  with  his  arm  full  of 
wood  to  the  campfire  where  one  of  the  ruffians,  still  with  his 
pistol  in  his  hand,  shouting  and  cursing  about  the  "Mor- 
mons," in  a  loud  voice  said  to  Joseph  F., 

"Are  you  a  'Mormon'?" 

And  the  answer  came  straight,  "Yes,  siree ;  dyed  in  the 
wool ;  true  blue,  through  and  through." 

At  that  the  ruffian  grasped  him  by  the  hand  and  said, 
"Well,  you  are  the  -  -  pleasantest  man  I  ever  met! 

Shake,  young  fellow,  I  am  glad  to  see  a  man  that  stands 
up  for  his  convictions." 

These  incidents  show  the  inherent  bravery,  courage, 
integrity,  of  the  man,  and  also  tenderness  and  pity  for  the 
little  helpless  sister.  These  are  the  qualities  upon  which 
great  men  are  builded. 

In  the  spring  of  1877,  I  was  called  to  accompany  Presi- 
dent Smith  on  a  mission  to  Europe.  I  was  called  by  him  to 
labor  in  the  business  affairs  of  the  Liverpool  office,  and 
from  that  time  until  the  day  of  his  death,  I  think  I  have 
enjoyed  his  personal  confidence  more  than  any  man  living. 
When  I  look  back  on  it  all  now,  I  can  see  what  a  treasure, 
a  blessing,  a  favor  -from  the  Almighty  it  has  been  to  me. 

During  the  last  eleven  years,  especially,  I  have  traveled 
with  him  almost  constantly  whenever  he  has  gone  from 
home.  I  have  been  with  him  on  three  different  trips  to 
Europe,  including  the  first  missionary  trip  above  mentioned, 
and  on  four  trips  to  the  Sandwich  Islands.  Everywhere,  and 
on  all  occasions,  I  have  found  him  the  same  great,  brave, 
true-hearted,  noble  and  magnificent  leader,  so  simple  and 
unaffected,  so  entirely  democratic  and  unassuming. 

He  was  always  careful  with  his  expenditures,  too. 
He  abhorred  debt,  and  no  man  have  I  ever  known  who  was 

43 


(oS  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

so  prompt  to  pay  an  obligation  to  the  last  penny.  He  could 
not  rest  until  the  Church  was  out  of  debt,  and  though  hun- 
dreds of  schemes,  and  many  of  them  extra  good  schemes, 
too,  were  presented  to  him,  which  no  doubt  would  have 
meant  an  increase  of  wealth  for  the  Church,  yet  he  reso- 
lutely set  his  face  against  debt;  and  would  not,  under  any 
conditions  or  circumstances  involve  the  Church  in  that  way. 
Neither  would  he  himself  become  involved  in  debt  in  his 
own  individual  affairs,  but  persistently  stuck  to  the  old 
motto,  "Pay  as  you  go." 

Many  of  the  older  people  now  alive  can  recall  that 
forty  years  ago,  or  even  less,  he  was  considered  a  radical, 
and  many  a  one  of  that  time  shook  his  head  and  said,  "What 
will  become  of  things  if  that  fiery  radical  ever  becomes 
president  of  the  Church.  But  from  the  time  he  was  made 
president  of  the  Church,  and  even  before  that  time, 
he  became  one  of  the  most  tolerant  of  men ;  tolerant  of 
others'  opinions,  and  while  he  would  denounce  sin  with  such 
righteous  wrath  as  you  would  seldom  see.  in  any  man,  yet  for 
the  poor  sinner  he  had  compassion  and  pity,  and  even  for- 
giveness, if  sincere  repentance  were  shown.  None  more 
ready  than  he  to  forgive  and  forget. 

One  touching  little  incident  I  recall  which  occurred  on 
our  first  trip  to  the  Sandwich  Islands.  As  we  landed  at  the 
wharf  in  Honolulu,  the  native  Saints  were  out  in  grear 
numbers  with  their  wreaths  of  leis,  beautiful  flowers  of 
every  variety  and  hue.  We  were  loaded  with  them,  he,  of 
course^  more  than  anyone  else.  The  noted  Hawaiian  band 
wras  there  playing  welcome  as  it  often  does  to  incoming 
steamship  companies.  But  on  this  occasion  the  band  had 
been  instructed  by  the  Mayor  to  go  up  to  the  "Mormon" 
meetinghouse  and  there  play  selections  during  the  festivities 
which  the  natives  had  arranged  for.  It  was  a  beautiful  sight 
to  see  the  deep-seated,  love,  the  even  tearful  affection  that 
these  people  had  for  him.  In  the  midst  of  it  all  I  noticed  a 


REMINISCENCES  659 

•poor  old  blind  woman,  tottering  under  the  weight  of  about 
ninety  years,  being  led  in.  She  had  a  few  choice  bananas  in 
her  hand.  It  was  her  all — her  offering.  She  was  calling, 
"losepa,  losepa."  Instantly,  when  he  saw  her,  he  ran  to  her 
and  clasped  her  in  his  arms,  hugged  her,  and  kissed  her 
over  and  over  again,  patting  her  on  the  head  saying,  "Mama, 
Mama,  my  dear  old  Mama." 

And  with  tears  streaming  down  his  cheeks  he  turned 
to  me  and  said,  ''Charlie,  she  nursed  me  when  I  was  a  boy, 
sick  and  without  anyone  to  care  for  me.  She  took  me  in 
and  was  a  mother  to  me." 

Oh,  it  was  touching — it  was  pathetic.  It  was  beautiful 
to  see  the  great,  noble  soul  in  loving,  tender  remembrance  of 
kindness  extended  to  him,  more  than  fifty  years  before;  and 
the  poor  old  soul  who  had  brought  her  love  offering — a  few 
bananas — it  was  all  she  had — to  put  into  the  hand  of  her 
loved  losepa ! 

On  these  ocean  trips  there  was  much  spare  time,  and 
we  often  whiled  away  an  hour  or  two  playing  checkers.  He 
could  play  a  good  game  of  checkers,  much  better  than  I. 
In  fact,  he  could  beat  me  four  times  out  of  five,  but  once  in 
a  while,  when  I  played  more  cautiously,  and  no  doubt  when 
he  was  more  careless,  I  could  beat  him.  If  he  was  beating 
me  right  along  and  I  made  an  awkward  move,  and  could  see 
instantly  that  I  had  moved  the  wrong  checker,  he  would 
allow  me  to  draw  it  back  if  I  noticed  it  immediately ;  but  on 
the  other  hand,  if  I  had  beaten  him  for  a  game  or  two  and 
should  put  my  finger  on  a  checker  to  draw  it  back,  even 
though  it  were  on  the  instant,  he  would  call  out  with  force 
enough,  and  in  that  positive  way  of  his,  "No  you  don't,  you 
leave  it  right  there."  It  is  in  these  little  incidents  that  we 
show  the  human  side  of  our  natures. 

He  loved  sport — manly  sport.  He  was  a  natural  ath- 
lete; and  in  his  youth  at  foot-racing,  jumping,  wrestling, 
which  were  among  the  primitive  sports  of  primitive  days,  he 


660  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

was  a  match  for  anyone.  In  later  years  I  had  induced  him 
to  take  up  with  the  ancient  and  royal  Scottish  game  of  golf. 
He  got  so  that  he  could  play  a  very  good  game,  excellent 
indeed  for  a  man  of  his  years.  But  on  one  occasion,  down 
at  Santa  Monica,  when  we  were  playing,  we  were  up  within 
about  one  hundred  feet  of  the  flag  at  the  hole  we  were  mak- 
ing for.  A  slight  stroke  should  have  driven  the  ball  nearer 
the  flag,  but  the  inclination  to  look  up  as  one  tries  to  hit 
the  ball  got  the  best  of  him,  and  the  consequence  was  he 
topped  the  ball  and  it  rolled  only  a  couple  of  feet  or  so.  He 
bent  over  for  the  next  stroke,  and  the  one  thing  which  all 
golfers  most  fear,  and  the  hardest  to  overcome,  is  that 
habit  of  looking  up  or  taking  the  eye  off  the  ball  just  as 
you  go  to  strike.  This  he  did,  the  second  time,  when  he 
topped  it  again  and  it  moved  but  a  few  feet  further.  The 
third  time  he  went  up  to  it  and  hit  it  a  whack  that  sent  it 
rolling  one  hundred  feet  beyond  the  flag.  His  son,  Wesley, 
who  was  playing  with  us,  called  out,  "Why,  papa,  what  did 
you  do  that  for?  You  knew  it  would  roll  away  down  there 
in  the  ditch!"  The  President  straightened  up  and  said, 
with  a  smile,  "Well,.  I  was  mad  at  it!"  I  have  laughed 
hundreds  of  times  at  that,  "I  was  mad  at  it." 

Of  course,  we  agreed  well  together,  otherwise  we  would 
not  have  been  companionable  during  all  these  years.  But 
sometimes  I  could  not  fully  agree  with  him  on  some  matters 
that  we  discussed.  I  recall  one  night  we  were  on  ship- 
board returning  from  Europe,  in  1906.  It  was  a  bright 
moonlight  night,  and  wre  stood  there  leaning  over  the  railing 
enjoying  the  smooth  sea  and  balmy  summer  night  air.  The 
Smoot  investigation,  which  had  just  occurred  a  little  while 
before  and  which  had  stirred  up  so  much  controversy 
throughout  the  land,  was  fresh  in  our  minds,  and  we  were 
talking  of  it.  I  took  the  position  that  it  would  be  unwise 
for  Reed  Smoot  to  be  re-elected  to  the  United  States  Senate. 
I  was  conscientious  in  my  objection,  and  I  had  marshaled 


REMINISCENCES  66 1 

all  the  facts,  arguments,  and  logic,  that  I  could;  and  I  was 
well  informed,  I  thought,  on  the  subject,  and  had  presented 
them  to  him  in  as  clear  and  yet  in  as  adroit  a  manner  as  I 
possibly  could.  It  would  take  too  much  space  here  to  go 
over  the  arguments,  but  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  had  the  best 
of  it.  I  could  see  he  began  to  listen  with  some  little  im- 
patience, and  yet  he  let  me  have  my  say,  but  he  answered  in 
tones  and  in  a  way  that  I  shall  never  forget.  Bringing  his 
fist  down  with  some  force  on  the  railing  between  us,  he  said, 
in  the  most  forceful  and  positive  manner: 

"If  ever  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  has  manifested  to  me 
anything  clear  and  plain  and  positive,  it  is  this,  that  Reed 
Smoot  should  remain  in  the  United  States  Senate.  He  can 
do  more  good  there  than  he  can  anywhere  else." 

Of  course,  I  did  not  contend  further  with  him,  but 
accepted  from  that  hour  his  view  of  the  case  and  made  it 
mine,  too.  Twelve  years  have  passed  since  that  time,  and 
looking  back  on  it  now,  I  cannot  help  but  think  how  mar- 
velously  and  splendidly  the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty  has 
been  vindicated,  while  my  argument,  facts  and  logic  have  all 
fallen  to  the  ground. 

During  the  last  six  or  eight  years,  hundreds  of  promi- 
nent people,  Democrats  as  well  as  Republicans,  passing 
through  Salt  Lake  City,  even  Secretary  McAdoo,  himself, 
among  them,  have  stated  to  President  Smith  that  Utah  had 
a  great  big  man  in  the  United  States  Senate  in  the  person 
of  Senator  Reed  Smoot.  President  Smith's  judgment,  or 
rather  his  inspiration  in  this  matter,  has  been  vindicated  to 
the  last  degree. 

As  a  preacher  of  righteousness,  who  could  compare 
with  him?  He  was  the  greatest  that  I  ever  heard — strong, 
powerful,  clear,  appealing.  It  was  marvelous  how  the  words 
of  living  light  and  fire  flowed  from  him.  He  was  a  born 
preacher,  and  yet  he  did  not  set  himself  up  to  be  such.  He 
never  thought  highly  of  his  own  great  qualities.  Rather,  he 


662  PRESIDENT  JOSEPPI  F.  SMITH 

was  simple,  plain  and  unaffected  to  the  last  degree;  and  yet, 
there  was  a  dignity  with  it  all  which  enabled  anyone  and 
everyone  to  say :  "He  is  a  man  among  men  !"  As  preacher, 
leader,  teacher,  husband,  father,  citizen  and  man,  I  ask,  who 
among  our  mighty  ones  can  be  likened  unro  him? 

He  loved  a  good  story  and  a  good  joke.  There  was  a 
good  laugh  in  him  always.  He  had  no  patience  with  vile 
stories,  but  there  was  a  fine  vein  of  humor  in  him,  and  he 
could  relate  incidents  of  his  early  life  ami  entertain  the 
crowd  about  him  as  few  men  ever  could. 

He  was  the  most  methodical  in  all  his  work  of  any  per- 
son I  ever  knew.  Every  letter  that  he  received  had  to  be 
indorsed  by  him  with  the  date  and  any  other  information, 
and  all  carefully  filed  away.  He  could  not  stand  for  dis- 
order. Everything  in  connection  with  his  work  was  orderly. 
He  could  pack  his  suitcase  or  a  trunk  and  line  out  and 
smooth  out  every  piece  of  clothing  in  it  so  it  would  hold 
more  and  be  better  packed  than  if  anybody  else  had  done  it. 
His  clothes,  too,  were  always  clean.  Most  men  as  they  grow 
old  are  likely  to  have  their  clothes  more  or  less  spotted 
through  dropping  food  on  their  clothing.  But  not  so  with 
him.  To  his  last  day  his  clothes  were  as  clean  and  as  well 
taken  care  of  as  if  he  had  been  a  young  man  of  thirty. 

He  was  a  most  strenuous  worker  and  never  considered 
saving  himself  at  all.  You  could  go  up  to  his  little  office  in 
the  Beehive  most  any  night  when  he  was  well,  and  find  him 
writing  letters  or  attending  to  some  other  work.  Perhaps 
some  dear  old  soul  had  written  him  a  personal  letter,  and 
he  would  work  into  the  night  answering  it  with  his  own 
hand.  Indeed,  he  over-worked  himself  and  no  doubt  injured 
his  strong  constitution. 

He  was  careless  about  eating — careless  as  to  what  he 
ate  and  when  he  ate.  His  living  was  exceedingly  simple  and 
plain.  He  rarely  got  to  bed  before  midnight,  and  the  con- 
sequence was  he  did  not  get  sufficient  sleep  and  rest. 


REMINISCENT  'ES  663 

I  k'  was  very  fond  of  music  and  loved  to  sing  the  songs 
of  Zion. 

His  love  for  little  children  was  unbounded.  During 
the  trip  we  took  last  year  down  through  the  southern  settle- 
ments to  St.  George  and  return,  when  the  troops  of  little 
children  were  paraded  before  him,  it  was  beautiful  to  see 
how  he  adored  these  little  ones.  It  was  my  duty  to  try  and 
get  the  company  started,  to  make  time  to  the  next  settle- 
ment where  the  crowds  would  be  waiting  for  us,  but  it  was 
a  difficult  task  to  pull  him  away  from  the  little  children.  He 
wanted  to  shake  hands  with  and  talk  to  every  one  of  them. 

Once  in  a  while  someone  would  come  up  to  him  and 
say,  "President  Smith,  I  believe  I  am  a  kinsman  of  yours." 

I  knew  then  that  we  were  good  for  another  ten  min- 
utes' delay,  for  that  great  heart  of  his,  that  went  out  to 
every  kinsman  as  well  as  to  the  little  children,  could  not  be 
torn  away  quickly  from  anyone  claiming  kinship  with  him. 

I  have  visited  at  his  home  when  one  of  his  little  children 
was  down  sick.  I  have  seen  him  come  home  from  his  work 
at  night  tired,  as  he  naturally  would  be,  and  yet  he  would 
walk  the  floor  for  hours  with  that  little  one  in  his  arms, 
petting  it  and  loving  it,  encouraging  it  in  every  way  with 
such  tenderness  and  such  a  soul  of  pity  and  love  as  not  one 
mother  in  a  thousand  would  show. 

While  he  was  a  hard-headed,  successful  business  man, 
yet  very  few  in  this  dispensation  have  been  more  gifted  with 
spiritual  insight  than  he.  As  we  were  returning  from  an 
eastern  trip,  some  years  ago,  on  the  train  ju&t  east  of  Green 
River,  I  saw  him  go  out  to  the  end  of  the  car  on  the  plat- 
form, and  immediately  return  and  hesitate  a  moment,  and 
then  sit  down  in  the  seat  just  ahead  of  me.  He  had  just 
taken  his  seat  when  something  went  wrong  with  the  train. 
A  broken  rail  had  been  the  means  of  ditching  the  engine 
and  had  thrown  most  of  the  cars  off  the  track.  In  the 
sleeper  we  were  shaken  up  pretty  badly,  but  our  car  re- 
mained on  the  track. 


664  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

The  President  immediately  said  to  me  that  he  had  gone 
on  the  platform  when  he  heard  a  voice  saying,  "Go  in  and 
sit  down." 

He  came  in,  and  I  noticed  him  stand  a  moment,  and  he 
seemed  to  hesitate,  but  he  sat  down. 

He  said  further  that  as  he  came  in  and  stood  in  the 
aisle  he  thought,  "Oh,  pshaw,  perhaps  it  is  only  my  imagina- 
tion ;"  when  .he  heard  the  voice  again,  "Sit  down,"  and  he 
immediately  took  his  seat,  and  the  result  was  as  I  have 
stated. 

He,  no  doubt,  would  have  been  very  seriously  injured 
had  he  remained  on  the  platform  of  that  car,  as  the  cars 
were  all  jammed  up  together  pretty  badly.  He  said,  "I  have 
heard  that  voice  a  good  many  times  in  my  life,  and  I  have 
always  profited  by  obeying  it." 

On  another  occasion,  at  a  function  which  was  held  in 
the  palatial  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  W.  McCune,  he  made 
an  extended  talk  to  the  gathering.  He  then  said  that  when 
a  certain  brother  who  had  been  called  to  a  responsible  posi- 
tion in  the  Church  was  chosen  for  that  position,  he  himself 
had  never  heard  this  spiritual  voice  more  plainly  and  more 
clearly  telling  him  what  to  do,  than  in  this  naming  of  the 
individual  who  was  to  be  called  for  that  certain  office. 

He  lived  in  close  communion  with  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord,  and  his  life  was  so  exemplary  and  chaste  that  the  Lord 
could  easily  manifest  himself  to  his  servant.  Truly  he  could 
say,  ''Speak,  Lord,  for  thy  servant  heareth."  Not  every  ser- 
vant can  hear  when  He  speaks.  But  the  heart  of  President 
Smith  was  attuned  to  the  Celestial  melodies — he  could  hear, 
and  did  hear. 

What  shall  I  say  of  the  grand  and  glorious  work  that 
he  has  done  in  rearing  the  large  and  splendid  family  that 
.he  leaves  behind.  What  a  noble  work  for  any  man  !  Indeed, 
no  man  without  great  nobility  of  soul  could  have  accom- 
plished it.  Is  not  this  bringing  up  a  good  family,  and  a  large 


REMINISCENCES  665 

family  of  good  citizens,  good  men  and  women,  good  for  the 
Church,,  for  the  State,  and  for  the  Nation?  Is  not  this,  I 
say,  about  the  most  God-like  piece  of  work  that  a  man  can 
do  in  this  world?  The  thinking  mind,  who  goes  into  this 
question  deep  enough,  will  see  that  here  is  the  work,  not 
only  of  a  man,  of  a  great  man,  but  of  a  God  in  embryo.  The 
whole  Church  can  take  pride  in  the  vindication  of  this  great 
principle  which  he  has  so  successfully  wrought  out.  No 
ordinary  man  could  accomplish  that.  Happy  the  wife  who 
can  call  him  husband.  Happy  and  blessed  indeed  the  chil- 
dren who  call  him  father.  Never  was  man  more  moral  and' 
chaste  and  virtuous  to  the  last  fiber  of  his  being  than  he. 
Against  all  forms  or  thoughts  of  licentiousness,  he  was  set, 
and  as  immovable  as  a  mountain.  "Blessed  are  the  pure  in 
heart,"  and  as  he  was  of  the  very  purest — he  shall  see  God. 

It  is  written  that  a  truly  great  man  is  known  by  the 
number  of  beings  he  loves  and  blesses,  and  by  the  number 
of  beings  who  love  and  bless  him.  Judged  by  that  stand- 
ard alone,  where  is  his  equal  to  be  found  in  all  this  world! 

I  can  say  of  Joseph  F.  Smith  as  Carlyle  said  of  Luther, 
that  he  was  truly  a  great  man,  "great  in  intellect,  in  courage, 
in  affection,  and  in  integrity.  Great,  not  as  a  hewn  obelisk, 
but  as  an  Alpine  mountain."  No  heart  ever  beat  truer  to 
every  principle  of  manhood  and  righteousness  and  justice 
and  mercy  than  his ;  that  great  heart,  encased  in  his  mag- 
nificent frame,  made  him  the  biggest,  the  bravest,  the  tender- 
est,  the  purest  and  best  of  all  men  who  walked  the  earth  in 
his  time! 

"His  life  was  gentle,  and  the  elements 

So  mix'd  in  him,  that  Nature  might  stand  up 

And  say  to  all  the  world,  'This  was  a  Man !'  " 

— Charles  W .  Nibley,  Presiding  Bishop  of  the  Church,  Im- 
provement Era,  Vol.  22,  January,  1919,  pp.  191-198. 


A  Biographical  Sketch 

It  was  John  Locke,  the  great  characteristic  English 
philosopher,  who,  at  the  age  of  thirty,  wrote : 

"I  no  sooner  perceived  myself  in  the  world,  but  I  found 
myself  in  a  storm  which  has  lasted  hitherto." 

To  Joseph  F.  Smith,  who  is  among  the  greatest  and 
most  unique  and  notable  individualities  of  that  peculiar  peo- 
ple, the  Latter-day  Saints,  this  sentence  of  Locke's  is 
especially  applicable.  Only  his  life  was  enveloped  in  storm 
before  he  could  perceive.  He  is  the  son  of  Hyrum  Smith, 
the  second  patriarch  of  the!  Church,  and  brother  of  the 
Prophet  Joseph.  His  mother  was  Mary  Fielding,  of  Eng- 
lish origin,  a  woman  of  bright  and  strong  mind  and  of  ex- 
cellent business  administrative  qualities. 

It  was  during  the  Missouri  troubles.  Governor  Boggs 
had  issued  his  order  to  exterminate  the  "Mormons."  On 
the  first  day  of  November,  1838,  through  the  heartless 
treachery  of  Colonel  Hinkle,  Joseph  and  Hyrum  and  several 
other  leaders  of  the  people  were  betrayed  into  the  hands  of 
an  armed  mob  under  General  Clark.  They  were  to  be  taken 
prisoners,  and  confined  in  jail,  and  perhaps  shot.  On  the 
following  day,  these  betrayed  leaders  were  given  a  few 
moments  to  bid  farewell  to  their  families.  Under  a  strong 
guard  of  militia  mobocrats,  Hyrum  was  marched  to  his 
home  in  Far  West,  and,  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  with 
oaths  and  curses,  was  ordered  to  take  his  last  farewell  of  his 
wife.  For  his  "doom  was  sealed,"  and  he  was  told  that  he 
would  never  see  her  again.  Imagine  such  a  shock  to  his 
companion !  It  would  have  overpowered  and  come  near 
ending  the  life  of  an  ordinary  person.  But  with  the  natural 
strength  of  her  mind,  coupled  with  the  sustaining  care  of 
God,  she  was  upheld  in  this  fiery  trial  with  its  added  mis- 


A  BIOGRAPHICAL  SK1LTCH  667 

cries  to  follow.  It  was  on  the  13th  day  of  the  same  month 
of  November,  1838,  in  the  midst  of  plundermgs,  and  scenes 
of  severest  hardships  and  persecution,  that  she  gave  birth  to 
her  first-born  who  was  named  Joseph  Fielding  Smith.  In 
the  cold  of  the  following  January,  leaving  four  little  ones, 
under  the  care  of  her  sister,  Mercy  R. — children  of  her  hus- 
band by  a  former  wife  then  dead — she  journeyed  in  a  wagon 
with  her  infant  to  Liberty  jail  in  Clay  county,  where  the 
husband  and  father  was  confined,  without  trial  or  convic- 
tion, his  sole  offense  being  that  he  was  a  "Mormon."  She 
was  permitted  to  visit  him  in  jail,  but  was  later  compelled 
to  continue  her  flight  from  Missouri  with  her  children  to 
seek  shelter  in  Illinois. 

Such  were  the  stormy  environments  of  birth,  and  such 
was  the  first  pilgrimage  of  the  infant  Joseph  who  has  since 
compassed  the  earth  and  the  islands  of  the  sea,  promulgat- 
ing and  defending  the  principles  for  which  his  father  endured 
imprisonment  and  later  martyrdom,  and  for  which  his  moth- 
er suffered  untold  persecution  and  distress. 

Joseph's  early  years  were  spent  amidst  the  agitations 
which  culminated  in  the  martyrdom  of  his  uncle  and  his 
father  on  the  memorable  27th  day  of  June,  1844.  After  the 
abandonment  of  the  city  by  the  Twelve,  and  when  the  ma- 
jority of  the  Saints  had  been  driven  from  Nauvoo,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1846,  his  mother  fled  from  the  city  and  camped  on 
the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi  River,  among  the  trees  on 
its  banks,  without  wagon  or  tent,,  during  the  bombardment 
of  the  city  by  the  mob.  Having  later  succeeded  in  making 
exchanges  of  property  in  Illinois  for  teams  and  an  outfit, 
she  set  out  for  Winter  Quarters,  on  the  Missouri  River. 
Joseph,  a  lad  of  only  about  eight  years,  drove  a  yoke  of 
oxen  and  a  wagon  most  of  the  distance  through  the  state 
of  Iowa  to  Winter  Quarters,  and  his  other  occupation,  after 
leaving  Nauvoo,  was  principally  that  of  herd  boy. 

On  these  western  plains  he  drank  in  the  freedom  of 


668  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

the  spirit  of  the  West,  and  developed  that  physical  strength 
which,  notwithstanding  his  later  sedentary  occupation,  is 
still  observable  in  his  robust,  erect  and  muscular  form. 

He  is  a  lover  of  strength  and  a  believer  in  work. 
"Labor  is  the  key  to  the  true  happiness  of  the  physical  and 
spiritual  being.  If  a  man  possesses  millions,  his  children 
should  still  be  taught  how  to  labor  with  their  hands;  boys 
and  girls  should  receive  a  home  training  which  will  fit  them 
to  cope  with  the  practical,  daily  affairs  of  family  life,  even 
where  the  conditions  are  such  that  they  may  not  have  to  do 
this  work  themselves ;  they  will  then  know  how  to  guide 
and  direct  others/'  said  he,  in  a  recent  conversation  with  the 
writer. 

The  great  and  overpowering  desire  of  all  the  Saints 
was  to  obtain  means  to  gather  to  the  Valley.  For  this  pur- 
pose various  kinds  of  labor  was  sought  in  Iowa  and  neigh- 
boring states,  from  farming  to  school  teaching.  In  the  fall 
of  1847,  he  drove  a  team  for  his  mother  to  St.  Joseph  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  provisions  to  make  the  coveted  jour- 
ney to  the  Salt  Lake  Valley,  in  the  spring  following.  The 
trip  was  successfully  made. 

It  was  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  while  tending  his  moth- 
er's cattle  near  Winter  Quarters,  that  he  experienced  one  of 
the  most  exciting  incidents  of  his  life.  The  cattle  were 
their  only  hope  of  means  for  immigration  to  the  Valley.  This 
fact  was  deeply  impressed  upon  the  boy,  so  that  he  came  to 
view  them  as  a  precious,  heritage,  as  well  as  a  priceless 
charge  given  to  him  as  a  herd  boy.  He  understood  the  re- 
sponsibility ;  and  that  is  much,  for  neither  Joseph,  the  boy, 
nor  Joseph,  the  man,  was  ever  known  to  shirk  a  duty  or 
prove  recreant  to  a  responsibility. 

One  morning,  in  company  with  Alden  and  Thomas 
Burdick,  he  set  out  upon  the  usual  duties  of  the  day.  The 
cattle  were  feeding  in  the  valley  some  distance  from  the 
settlement,  which  valley  was  reached  in  two  ways,  one 


A  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  669 

over  a  "bench"  or  plateau,  the  other  through  a  ravine  or 
small  canyon.  The  boys  had  each  a  horse.  Joseph's  was  a 
bay  mare,  swifter  than  the  others.  Alden  suggested  that 
Thomas  and  Joseph  go  the  short  route  to  the  left,  over  the 
"bench,"  and  he  would  go  up  the  canyon  to  the  right,  so 
that  they  would  meet  in  the  valley  from  the  two  directions. 
The  suggestion  was  gladly  adopted,  and  the  two  set  out 
with  youthful  frolic,  and  soon  arrived  at  the  upper  end  of 
the  valley,  where  the  cattle  could  be  seen  feeding  by  a 
stream  which  divided  it  in  the  center  and  wound  down  the 
canyon  from  the  direction  of  the  settlement.  Having  the 
day  before  them,  they  amused  themselves  with  "running" 
their  horses,  and,  later,  in  "jumping"  them  over  a  little 
gully  in  the  upper  part  of  the  valley.  As  they  were  engaged 
in  this  amusement,  suddenly  a  band  of  twenty  or  thirty 
Indians  came  into  view,  around  a  point  in  the  lower  end  of 
the  valley,  some  distance  below  the  cattle.  Thomas  first  saw 
them,  and  frantically  yelled,  "Indians,"  at  the  same  time 
turning  his  horse  for  the  "bench"  to  ride  for  home.  Joseph 
started  to  follow,  but  the  thought  came  to  his  mind,  "My 
cattle,  I  must  save  my  cattle !"  From  that  moment,  only 
this  thought  filled  his  mind;  everything  else  was 'blank  and 
dark.  He  headed  his  horse  for  the  Indians,  to  get  around 
the  herd  before  the  reels  should  reach  it.  One  Indian,  naked 
like  the  others,  having  only  a  cloth  around  the  loins,  passed 
him,  flying  to  catch  Thomas.  Joseph  reached  the  head  of 
the  herd,  and  succeeded  in  turning  the  cattle  up  the  ravine 
just  as  the  Indians  approached.  His  efforts,  coupled  with 
the  rush  and  yells  of  the  Indians,  stampeded  the  herd, 
followed  by  Joseph  who,  by  keeping  his  horse  on 
the  "dead"  run,  succeeded  for  some  time  in  keeping  between 
the  herd  and  the  Indians.  Here  was  a  picture !  the  boy,  the 
cattle,  the  Indians,  headed  on  the  run  for  the  settlement ! 
Finally  the  reds  cut  him  away  from  the  herd,  whereupon  he 
turned,  going  down  stream  a  distance,  then  circling  around 


670  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

the  ravine  to  the  right,  to  reach  the  cattle  from  the  other 
side.  He  had  not  gone  far  in  that  direction  when  other 
Indians  were  seen.  They  started  for  him,  overtaking  him 
as  he  emerged  from  the  valley.  He  still  spurred  his  horse, 
going  at  full  speed,  and  while  thus  riding,  two  of  the  naked 
reds  closed  up  beside  him  in  the  wild  race,  and  took  him, 
while  the  horses  were  going  at  full  speed,  one  by  the  left 
arm  and  the  other  by  the  right  leg,  and  lifted  him  from  the 
saddle,  for  a  moment  holding  him  in  the  air,  then  suddenly 
dropping  him  to  the  ground. 

Undoubtedly  he  would  have  been  scalped  but  for  the 
timely  appearance  of  a  company  of  men  going  to  the  hay 
fields,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  ravine,  which  scared  the 
thieving  Indians  away,  they  having  obtained  both  the  boys' 
horses  for  their  pains.  In  the  meantime  Thomas  had  given 
the  alarm.  Two  relief  companies  were  formed  in  the  settle- 
ment, one  a  posse  of  horsemen  under  Hosea  Stout,  who 
went  up  the  canyon  and  found  the  cattle  with  Alden  Bur- 
dick  (the  pursuing  Indians  having  abandoned  the  chase  from 
fright),  while  the  other  took  the  "bench"  route,  and  dis- 
covered Joseph,  who  with  them  spent  the  day  in  a  fruitless 
search  for  the  Indians  and  the  cattle  supposed  to  have  been 
stolen.  "I  remember,  on  my  way  home,"  says  Joseph,  "how 
I  sat  down  and  wept  for  my  cattle,  and  how  the  thought  of 
meeting  mother,  who  could  not  now  go  to  the  Valley,  wrung 
my  soul  with  anguish."  But  happily,  his  bravery  and 
fidelity  to  trust,  which  are  indissolubly  interwoven  with  his 
character  as  a  man,  had  saved  the  herd. 

Leaving  Winter  Quarters  in  the  spring  of  1848,  they 
reached  the  Salt  Lake  Valley  on  September  23,  Joseph  driv- 
ing two  yoke  of  oxen  with  a  heavily  loaded  wagon  the 
whole  distance.  He  performed  all  the  duties  of  a  day- 
watchman,  herdsman  and  teamster,  with  other  requirements 
imposed  upon  the  men.  Arriving  in  Salt  Lake  City,  he  again 
had  charge  of  the  herds,  interchanging  .with  such  labors  as 


A  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  671 

plowing,  canyon  work,  harvesting  and  fencing.  During  this 
whole  time  he  never  lost  an  animal  entrusted  to  his  care ; 
this  notwithstanding  the  numerous  large  wolves  abounding 
in  the  country. 

His  education  was  obtained  from  his  mother  who  early 
taught  him,  in  the  tent,  in  the  camp,  on  the  prairie,  to  read 
from  the  Bible.  He  has  had  no  other,  save  that  sterner  edu- 
cation gathered  from  the  practical  pages  of  life.  But  his 
opportunities  in  later  years  have  not  gone  unused,  and 
there  are  few  college-bred  .men  who  delight  more  in  books 
than  Joseph.  He  is,  too,  a  fair  judge  of  the  manner  and 
matter  of  books.  His  leisure  for  reading  is  limited,  owing 
to  his  constant  employment  in  the  affairs  of  the  Church: 
but  he  loves  to  read  books  of  history,  philosophy,  science ; 
and  has  specially  delighted  in  such  authors  as  Seiss  and 
Samuel  Smiles,  who  may  be  said  to  be  his  favorites.  He  is 
fond  of  music,  of  which,  though  not  a  judge,  he  is  a  great 
lover,  especially  enjoying  the  music  of  the  human  voice. 

In  1852,  his  mother  died,  leaving  him  an  orphan  at  the 
age  of  fourteen.  When  fifteen  years  of  age,  he,  with  other 
young  men,  was  called  on  his  first  mission  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands.  The  incidents  of  the  journey  to  the  coast  by  horses, 
his  work  in  the  mountains  at  a  shingle  mill  for  means  to 
proceed,  and  the  embarkment  and  journey  on  the  Vaquero 
for  the  islands,  are  sufficient  for  a  long  chapter  in  them- 
selves ;  while  his  labors  in  the  Maui  conference,  under  Presi- 
dent F.  A.  Hammond,  his  efforts  to  learn  the  language  in  the 
district  of  Kula,  his  attack  of  sickness,  the  most  severe  of  his 
life,  caused  by  the  Panama  fever,  and  his  other  labors  and 
varied,  trying  experiences  while  there,  would  fill  a  volume. 
He  says,  "Of  the  many  gifts  of  the  Spirit  which  were  mani- 
fest through  my  administration,  next  to  my  acquirement  of 
the  language,  the  most  prominent  was  perhaps  the  gift  of 
healing,  and  by  the  power  of  God  the  casting  out  of  evil 
spirits,  which  frequently  occurred." 


672  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

One  incident  shows  how  the  Lord  is  with  his  servants : 
Joseph  was  studying  the  language,  being  alone  with  a  native 
family  in  Wailuku.  One  night  while  he  sat  by  a  dismal 
light  poring  over  his  books  in  one  corner  of  the  room  where 
dwelt  a  native  and  his  wife,  the  woman  was  suddenly  pos- 
sessed ;  she  arose  and  looking  toward  Joseph  made  the  most 
fearful  noises  and  gestures,  accompanied  by  terrible  physi- 
cal contortions.  Her  husband  came  on  his  bended  knees  and 
crouched  beside  him,  frightened  to  trembling.  The  fear 
that  our  young  missionary  felt  under  those  circumstances 
was  something  indescribable,  but  presently  it  all  left  him, 
and  he  stood  up  facing  the  maniac. woman,  exclaiming:  "In 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  I  rebuke  you."  Like  a 
flash,  the  woman  fell  to  the  floor  like  one  dead.  The  hus- 
band went  to  ascertain  if  she  were  alive,  and  pronounced 
her  dead.  Then  he  returned,  and  set  up  a  perfect  howl, 
which  Joseph  likewise  rebuked.  What  should  Joseph  do? 
His  first  impression  was  to  get  away  from  the  horrid  sur- 
roundings, but  upon  reflection  he  decided  that  such  action 
would  not  be  wise.  His  feelings  were  indescribable,  but 
having  rebuked  the  evil,  it  was  subdued  and  peace  was 
restored,  and  he  proceeded  again  with  his  studies.  These 
are  the  class  of  experiences  that  bring  a  lone  missionary, 
young  as  he  was,  close  to  the  Lord. 

After  his  release,  and  while  returning  from  the  mission 
in  Hawaii,  this  incident  occurred :  At  Honolulu  he  went  on 
board  the  barque  Yankee,  on  October  6,  1857,  and  with  a 
company  of  elders  landed  in  San  Francisco,  about  the  end 
of  the  month.  With  Edward  Partridge,  he  went  down  the 
coast  to  Santa  Cruz  county,  Cal.,  and  from  thence  with  a 
company  of  Saints,  under  Captain  Charles  W.  Wandell, 
southward  to  the  Mojave  river,  where  he  and  others  left 
the  company  and  made  a  visit  to  San  Bernardino  on  their 
way  to  the  Salt  Lake  Valley.  It  must  be  said  that  the  feel- 
ing against  the  "Mormons,"  first,  on  account  of  the  exag- 


A  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  673 

Derated  reports  of  the  Mountain  Meadows  massacre,  and 
.  secondly,  because  of  the  coming  of  Johnston's  army  to  Utah, 
\vas  exceedingly  bitter  on  the  coast.  As  an  illustration: 
while  they  were  in  Los  Angeles,  a  man,  William  Wall  by 
name,  came  near  being  hung  because  he  had  confessed  he 
was  a  "Mormon."  A  mob  of  men  had  passed  sentence  on 
him,  and  had  prepared  every  detail  to  hang  him.  It  was 
only  through  the  wise  counsel  of  a  man  among  them,  whose 
better  judgment  prevailed,  that  he  was  not  hung.  This 
man  pointed  out  to  the  mob  that  here  was  a  man  who  had 
not  been  near  Utah  when  the  massacre  took  place,  a  man  who 
had  no  sympathy  with  it,  who  could  in  no  vvay  be  counted 
as  a  criminal.  Why  should  he  suffer?  And  so  Wall  was 
finally  discharged  and  given  time  to  get  out  of  the  country. 
It  was  under  such  conditions,  and  such  prevailing  sentiment, 
that  President  Smith,  then  a  lad  of  nineteen,  found  him- 
self on  his  journey  home,  and  on  his  trip  to  San  Bernardino. 
With  another  man,  and  a  mail  carrier,  he  took  pas- 
sage in  a  mail  wagon.  They  traveled  all  night,  and  at  day- 
light stopped  near  a  ranch  for  breakfast.  The  passenger  and 
the  mail  carrier  began  to  prepare  breakfast,  while  Joseph 
Avent  a  short  distance  from  camp  to  look  after  the  horses. 
Just  while  the  carrier  was  frying  eggs,  a  wagon  load  of 
•drunken  men  from  Monte  came  in  view,  on  their  road  to 
San  Bernardino  to  kill  the  "Mormons,"  as  they  boasted. 

The  oaths  and  foul  language  which  they  uttered,  be- 
tween their  shooting,  and  the  swinging  of  their  pistols,  were 
almost  indescribable  and  unendurable.  Only  the  West 
in  its  palmiest  frontier  days  could  produce  anything  like  its 
equal.  They  were  all  cursing  the  "Mormons,"  and  titter- 
ng  boasts  of  what  they  would  do  when  they  met  them.  They 
got  out  at  the  ranch,  and  one  of  them,  tumbling  around, 
caught  sight  of  the  mail  wagon,  and  made  his  way  towards 
it.  The  passenger  and  the  mail  carrier,  fearing  for  their 
safety,  had  retired  behind  the  chaparral,  leaving  all  the 

44 


674  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

baggage  and  supplies,  including  the  frying  eggs,  exposed 
and  unprotected. 

Just  as  the  drunken  man  approached,  President  Smith 
came  in  view  on  his  way  to  the  camp,  too  late  to  hide,  for  he 
had  been  seen.  The  ruffian  was  swinging  his  weapon, 
and  uttering  the  most  blood-curdling  oaths  and  threats  ever 
heard  against  the  "Mormons."  "I  dared  not  run,"  says 
President  Smith,  "though  I  trembled  for  fear  which  I 
dared  not  show.  I  therefore  walked  right  up  to  the  camp 
fire,  and  arrived  there  just  a  minute  or  two  before  the 
drunken  desperado,  who  came  directly  toward  me,  and, 
swinging  his  revolver  in  my  face,  with  an  oath  cried  out : 
'Are  you  a  -  -  "Mormon?"'  " 

President  Smith  looked  him  straight  in  the  eyes,  and 
answered  with  emphasis :  "Yes,  sir'ee ;  dyed  in  the  wool ; 
true  b]ue,  through  and  through." 

The  desperado's  arms  both  dropped  by  his  sides,  as  if 
paralyzed,  his  pistol  in  one  hand,  and  he  said  in  a  .subdued 
and  maudlin  voice,  offering  his  hand :  "Well,  you  are  the 

pleasantest  man  I  ever  met !  Shake.  I  am  glad 

to  see  a  fellow  stand  for  his  convictions."  Then  he  turned 
and  made  his  way  to  the  ranch  house.  Later  in  the  clay,  on 
seeing  President  Smith,  he  only  pulled  his  slouch  hat 
over  his  eyes,  and  said  not  a  word. 

In  1858,  Joseph  F.  Smith  joined  the  militia  which  in- 
tercepted Johnston's  army,  serving  until  the  close  of  hostil- 
ities, under  Colonel  Thomas  Callister.  He  was  later  chap- 
lain of  Colonel  Heber  C.  Kiinball's  regiment,  with  the  rank 
of  captain.  He  took  part  in  many  Indian  expeditions,  and 
was  in  every  sense  a  minute  man  in  the  Utah  militia. 

In  the  spring  of  1860,  though  only  about  22  years  of 
age,  he  was  sent  on  a  mission  to  Great  Britain.  As  he  had  no 
money,  he  and  his  cousin  Samuel  H.  B.  Smith,  each  drove 
a  four-mule  team  over  the  plains  to  Winter  Quarters  to  pay 
their  way.  "It  happened  that  the  owners  of  these  teams  were 


A  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  675 

rank  apostates,  so  that  when  the  young  men  arrived  at  their 
destination,  it  was  very  well  known  that"  they  were  Latter- 
day  Saints.  They  were  moneyless,  and  decided  finally  to  go 
to  Des  Moines  where  they  tried  without  success  to  get 
something  to  do.  They  hunted  for  work  in  the  harvest 
fields,  but  found  no  one  who  wished  to  employ  them.  The 
feeling  was  still  bitter  against  the  "Mormons"  in  this  re- 
gion, for  it  was  only  about  fourteen  years  since  the  rem- 
nant of  the  Saints  had  been  driven  from  Nauvoo.  One 
day  they  met  a  man  who  asked  them  who  they  were,  and 
where  they  were  going,  and  having  been  told  that  they 
were  going  to  England  on  a  mission,  the  man  stated  that 
he  had  a  sister  in  England  whom  he  wished  to  emigrate, 
and  asked  that  they  take  the  money  with  them  for  her 
emigration.  He  stated  that  they  might  use  it  as  they  saw  fit: 
provided  on  arrival  they  would  let  his  sister  have  the  money 
to  pay  her  passage  to  America.  They  agreed  to  this,  and 
immediately  went  on  their  way  to  Burlington  where  they 
took  a  steamer  for  Nauvoo;  but  when  they  got  on  board 
they  learned  that  the  steamer  would  not  land  at  that  place,  as 
they  had  been  told;  and  they  also  heard  the  most  bitter  im- 
precations against  the  Latter-day  Saints,  uttered  in  the  most 
profane  and  indecent  language. 

Landing  at  Montrose,  where  the  boat  took  on  freight, 
the  feeling  was  still  more  bitter.  The  Saints  were  cursed,  and 
boasts  were  made  of  what  evil  would  befall  any  "Mormon" 
who  would  dare  to  make  his  appearance.  Getting  on  board 
the  skiff,  next  morning,  which  was  to  carry  them  over  to 
Nauvoo,  the  young  men  found  that  the  spirit  of  the  mob  was 
just  as  bitter  as  ever,  but  it  was  not  known  here  that  they 
were  "Mormons."  Several  men  asked  them  who  they  were, 
and  their  replies  were  evasive.  Finally,  a  Catholic  priest 
came  to  them  and  asked  where  they  were  from.  '*O !  from 
the  West,"  was  the  reply. 

"How  far  west?" 


PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

"From  the  Rocky  Mountains." 

But  the  priest  finally  pinned  them  down  by  asking, 
"Are  you  'Mormon'  elders  from  Utah?" 

President  Smith  says  that  under  those  circumstances, 
for  a  moment,  never  had  temptation  to  deny  the  truth  come 
to  him  with  stronger  force,  but  it  was  only  for  a  moment. 
He  answered,  "Yes,  sir,  we  are  'Mormon'  missionaries  on 
our  way  to  England." 

The  reply  seemed  to  satisfy  the  .priest;  and,  contrary  to 
expectations,  it  did  not  in  the  least  increase  the  imprecations 
of  the  passengers.  When  they  landed  at  Nauvoo,  they  went 
directly  to  the  Mansion  House,  and,  strange  to  say,  the 
Catholic  priest  also  stayed  there.  If  they  had  not  truthfully 
answered  the  queries  on  the  boat,  he  would  have  found  them 
out  here,  to  their  shame. 

"I  had  never  felt  happier,"  says  President  Smith,  "than 
when  I  saw  the  minister  there,  ami  knew  that  we  had  told 
him  the  truth  about  our  mission." 

On  this  mission  he  served  nearly  three  years,  returning 
in  the  summer  of  1863 ;  it  was  during  these  years  that  the 
intimacy  between  President  George  Q.  Cannon,  who  pre- 
sided over  the  mission,  and  Joseph  F.  Smith  began ;  friend- 
ship and  love  for  each  other  were  engendered,  which  have 
since  grown  stronger  through  the  intimate  careers  of  two 
beautiful  lives.  On  his  return,  President  Young  proposed 
at  a  Priesthood  meeting  that  Joseph  and  his  cousin,  Samuel, 
each  be  given  a  present  of  $1,000  to  begin  life  with.  Presi- 
dent Smith  realized  in  the  neighborhood  of  $75  in  pro- 
visions and  merchandise,  but  mostly  a  legacy  of  much  an- 
noyance from  certain  people  who  entertained  the  current 
thought  that  he  had  thus  obtained  a  small  fortune.  With 
the  exception  of  the  cost  of  his  passage  and  stage  fare  home, 
which  was  sent  him  by  his  aunt,  Mercy  R.  Thompson, 
amounting  to  about  $100,  he  paid  his  own  expenses  through- 
out, as  he  had  done  on  previous  missions. 


A  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  677 

President  Smith  has  been  too  busy  with  his  work  to 
make  money,  and  his  temporal  affairs  are  a  strong  testi- 
mony to  his  exclusive  devotion  to  the  public  good. 

He  had  only  been  at  home  a  short  time,  when,  in  the 
early  spring  of  1864,  he  was  called  to  accompany  Ezra  T. 
P»enson  and  Lorenzo  Snow  on  a  second  mission  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands  to  regulate  the  affairs  of  that  mission, 
which  had  been  greatly  disarranged  by  the  well-known, 
shrewd  and  covetous  actions  of  Walter  M.  Gibson.  In  this 
mission  he  acted  as  principal  interpreter  for  the  apostles. 
After  Gibson  was  excommunicated  from  the  Church,  Joseph 
was  left  in  charge  of  the  mission,  with  W.  W.  Cluff  and 
Alma  L.  Smith  as  his  fellow-laborers.  It  was  many  months 
after  Gibson  had  been  cut  off  before  his  people  left  his 
jurisdiction  and  returned  to  the  standard  of  the  Church. 
Among  the  works  accomplished  by  Joseph  and  his  asso- 
ciates on  this  mission  was  the  selection  of  the  Laie  planta- 
tion as  a  gathering  place  for  the  Saints,  which  was  after- 
wards, on  their  recommendation,  purchased  by  a  committee 
sent  for  that  purpose  by  President  Young,  and  which  has 
proven  a  valuable  possession  for  the  mission,  and  for  the 
Church  in  a  general  way.  Joseph  and  his  aids  returned  in 
the  winter  of  1864-5. 

It  was  while  on  this  mission  that  the  drowning  incident 
occurred,  mentioned  in  Whitney's  sketch  of  President 
Lorenzo  Snow.  President  Smith's  part  in  the  affair  has 
never  been  fully  told.  The  ship  upon  which  they  arrived  lay 
anchored  in  the  channel  in  which  the  sea  was  nearly  always 
rough.  A  breakwater  had  been  built,  under  shelter  of  which 
the  natives  skilfully  steered  their  boats  ashore.  There  was 
much  danger,  however,  in  approaching  it.  When  it  was 
proposed  that  the  party  should  land  in  the  ship's  unwieldy 
freight-boat.  President  Smith  strongly  opposed  the  propo- 
sition, telling  the  brethren  that  at  the  breakwater  there  was 
great  danger  of  capsizing,  the  boat  being  a  clumsv  old  tu\ 


678  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  P.  SMITH 

unfit  for  such  a  load.  He  refused  to  go  ashore,  and  tried  to 
prevail  upon  the  others  to  abandon  the  attempt  until  a  better 
boat  could  be  obtained.  He  offered  to  go  ashore  alone,  and 
to  return  with  a  safer  boat  to  land  the  party.  So  persistent, 
however,  were  some  of  the  brethren,  that  he  was  chided 
for  his  waywardness,  and  one  of  the  apostles  even  told  him : 
"Young  man,  you  would  better  obey  counsel."  But  he  re- 
iterated his  impression  of  danger,  refusing  positively  to  land 
in  that  boat,  and  again  offering  to  go  alone  for  a  better  boat. 
But  the  brethren  persisted,  whereupon  he  asked  that  they 
leave  their  satchels  with  their  clothes  and  valuables  on  the 
anchored  ship  with  him,  and  that  he  be  permitted  to  stay. 
This  they  reluctantly  consented  to  do,  and  set  out  for  land. 

Joseph  stood  upon  the  ship  and  saw  them  depart,  filled 
with  the  greatest  apprehension  for  their  safety.  When  the 
party  reached  the  breakwater,  he  saw  one  of  the  great  waves 
suddenly  overturn  the  boat,  dropping  the  company  into 
twenty  or  thirty  feet  of  water.  A  boat  came  out  from  shore, 
manned  with  natives,  who  set  to  work  to  gather  them  up, 
and  obtained  all  but  President  Snow,  when  the  boat  which 
picked  them  up  started  for  land.  It  was  then  that  Elder 
W.  W.  Guff  demanded  that  they  return  for  Brother  Snow, 
who  would  otherwise  have  been  abandoned  and  left  for 
drowned.  He  was  found  and  dragged  into  the  boat  for 
dead,  his  life  being  thus  saved  by  Brother  Cluff.  All  this 
time,  Joseph  stood  in  the  greatest  agony  as  a  witness,  help- 
less, on  the  deck  of  the  ship.  His  first  information  of  his 
companions'  fate  came  from  some  passing  natives  who  re- 
plied to  his  inquiry  that  one  of  the  men  (Brother  Snow) 
was  dead.  But  through  the  blessings  of  God  and  self- 
effort  it  was,  fortunately,  not  quite  so  serious,  his  life  having 
been  restored. 

Joseph  had  saved  himself  and  the  satchels,  and  he  has 
always  considered  that  while  the  brethren  fatefully  said  of 
the  incident :  "It  was  to  be,"  that  a  prevention  in  this  case 


A  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  679 

would  have  been  much  better  than  a  cure.  The  incident 
illustrates  two  predominating  traits  in  his  character:  When 
he  is  convinced  of  the  truth,  he  is  not  afraid  to  express  him- 
self in  its  favor  to  any  man  on  earth.  When  he  does  ex- 
press himself,  it  is  often  with  such  earnestness  and  vigor 
that  there  is  danger  of  his  giving  offense. 

On  his  return  home,  he  labored  in  the  Church  his- 
torian's office  for  a  number  of  years ;  also  as  clerk  in  the 
endowment  house,  succeeding  Elder  John  V.  Long  in  that 
capacity;  being  in  charge,  after  the  death  of  President 
Young,  until  it  was  closed.  He  had  been  ordained  an 
apostle  under  the  hands  of  President  Young,  on  July  1, 
1866,  and  on  the  8th  of  October,  1867,  he  was  appointed  to 
fill  a  vacancy  in  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve  Apostles.  In  the 
year  following,  he  was  sent  with  Elder  Wilford  Woodruff 
of  the  Council  of  the  Twelve  and  Elder  A.  O.  Smoot  to 
Utah  county.  Here  he  served  one  term  in  the  Provo  city 
council. 

On  Eebruary  28,  1874,  he  went  on  his  second  mission 
to  England,  where  he  presided  over  the  European  mission, 
returning  in  1875,  after  the  death  of  President  George  A. 
Smith.  On  his  return  he  was  appointed  to  preside  over  the 
Davis  .stake,  until  the  spring  of  1877,  when  he  left  on  his 
third  British  mission,  having  first  witnessed  the  dedication 
of  the  first  temple  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  at  St.  George, 
April,  1877.  He  arrived  in  Liverpool,  May  27,  and  was 
joined  a  short  time  afterwards  by  Elder  Orson  Pratt,  who 
had  been  sent  to  publish  new  editions  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon and  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants.  When  news  arrived 
of  the  death  of  President  Young,  they  were  released,  and 
returned  home,  arriving  in  Salt  Lake  City,  September  27. 

In  August  of  the  following  year,  he  was  sent  with  Elder 
Orson  Pratt  on  a  short  eastern  mission,  visiting  noted 
places  in  the  history  of  the  Church  in  Missouri,  Ohio,  New 
York  and  Illinois.  It  was  on  this  trip  that  they  had  their 


680  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

famous  interview  with  David  Whitmer.  When  the  First 
Presidency  was  organized,  in  October,  1880,  he  was  chosen 
second  counselor  to  President  John  Taylor,  who  died  July 
25,  1887.  He  was  chosen  to  the  same  position  in  the  Presi- 
dency under  President  Woodruff;  and  holds  it  at  present 
under  President  Snow. 

It  would  require  too  much  space  to  name  his  various 
civil  positions  held  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  in  the  legislature 
of  the  territory,  where  he  served  the  people  long  and  faith- 
fully. All  my  readers  are  familiar  with  the  work  of  his 
recent  years ;  it  is  like  an  open  book  to  the  whole  people. 

So  he  has  been  constantly  in  the  service  of  the  public, 
and  by  his  straightforward  course  has  won  the  love,  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  the  whole  community.  He  is  a  friend 
of  the  people,  is  easily  approached,  a  wise  counselor,  a  man 
of  broad  views,  and,  contrary  to  first  impressions,  is  a  man 
whose  sympathies  are  easily  aroused.  He  is  a  reflex  of  the 
best  character  of  the  "Mormon"  people — inured  to  hard- 
ships, patient  in  trial,  God-fearing,  self-sacrificing,  full  of 
love  for  the  human  race,  powerful  in  moral,  mental  and 
physical  strength. 

President  Joseph  F.  Smith  has  an  imposing  physical 
appearance.  Now  completing  his  62nd  year,  he  is  tall, 
erect,  well-knit  and  symmetrical  in  build.  He  has  a  promi- 
nent nose  and  features.  When  speaking,  he  throws  his  full, 
clear,  brown  eyes  wide  open  on  the  listener  who  may  readily 
perceive  from  their  penetrating  glimpse  the  wonderful 
mental  power  of  the  tall  forehead  above.  His  large  head  is 
crowned  with  an  abundant  growth  of  hair,  in  his  early  years 
dark,  but  now,  like  his  full  beard,  tinged  with  a  liberal 
sprinkling  of  gray.  In  conversation,  one  is  forcibly  im- 
pressed with  the  sudden  changes  in  appearance  of  his 
countenance,  under  the  different  influences  of  his  mind :  now 
intensely  present,  with  an  enthusiastic  and  childlike  interest 
in  immediate  subjects  and  surroundings ;  now  absent,  the 


A  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  681 

mobility  of  his  features,  set  in  that  earnest,  almost  stern,  ma- 
jesty of  expression  so  characteristic  of  his  portraits — so  in- 
dicative of  the  severity  of  the  conditions  and  environments 
of  his  early  life. 

As  a  public  speaker,  his  leading  trait  is  an  intense 
earnestness.  He  impresses  the  hearer  with  his  message 
more  from  the  sincerity  and  simplicity  of  its  delivery,  and 
the  honest  earnestness  of  his  manner,  than  from  any  learned 
exhibition  of  oratory  or  studied  display  of  logic.  He 
touches  the  hearts  of  the  people  with  the  simple  eloquence 
of  one  who  is  himself  convinced  of  the  truth  presented.  He 
is  a  pillar  of  strength  in  the  Church,  thoroughly  imbued 
with  the  truths  of  the  gospel,  and  the  divine  origin  of  God's 
great  latter-day  work.  His  whole  life  and  testimony  are  an 
inspiration  to  the  young. 

I  said  to  him :  "You  knew  Joseph,  the  prophet ;  you  are 
old  in  the  work  of  the  Church:  what  is  your  testimony  to 
the  youth  of  Zion  concerning  these  things  ?"  And  he  replied 
slowly  and  deliberately : 

"I  was  acquainted  with  the  Prophet  Joseph  in  my 
youth.  I  was  familiar  in  his  home,  with  his  boys  and  with 
his  family.  I  have  sat  on  his  knee,  I  have  heard  him  preach, 
distinctly  remember  being  present  in  the  council  with  my 
father  and  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  and  others.  From  my 
childhood  to  youth  I  believed  him  to  be  a  Prophet  of  God. 
From  my  youth  until  the  present  I  have  not  believed  that  he 
was  a  Prophet,  for  I  have  known  that  he  was.  In  other 
words,  my  knowledge  has  superseded  my  belief.  I  remem- 
ber seeing  him  dressed  in  military  uniform  at  the  head  of 
the  Nauvoo  Legion.  I  saw  him  when  he  crossed  the  river, 
returning  from  his  intended  western  trip  into  the  Rocky 
Mountains  to  go  to  his  martyrdom,  and  I-  saw  his  lifeless 
body  together  with  that  of  my  father  after  they  were  mur- 
dered in  Carthage  jail ;  and  still  have  the  most  palpable 
remembrance  of  the  gloom  and  sorrow  of  those  dreadful 


682  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

days.  I  believe  in  the  divine  mission  of  the  prophets  of  the 
nineteenth  century  with  all  my  heart,  and  in  the  authenticity 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  the  inspiration  of  the  book  of 
Doctrine  and  Covenants,  and  hope  to  be  faithful  to  God  and 
man  and  not  false  to  myself,  to  the  end  of  my  days."- 
Edward  H.  Anderson,  in  Lives  of  Our  Leaders,  and  Ju- 
venile Instructor,  1901. 


Last  of  the  Old  School  of  Veteran  Leaders 


Surrounded  by  members  of  his  family,  President  Joseph 
F.  .Smith  peacefully  closed  his  active  life  upon  earth,  on 
Tuesday  morning-,  at  4:50  o'clock,  November  19,  1918,  at 
his  home,  the  Beehive  House,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah.  His 
noble  work  on  earth  is  ended.  He  served  the  people  of  the 
Church  in  almost  every  useful  private  and  public  capacity 
all  his  life.  He  mounted,  round  by  round,  on  the  ladder  of 
'experience,  as  herd  boy,  pioneer,  teacher,  missionary,  legisla- 
tor, counselor ;  and  for  the  past  seventeen  wonderful  years, 
was  leader  and  mouthpiece  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints. 

President  Smith's  administration  began  October  17, 
1901,  when  he  was  chosen  by  the  Twelve  and  set  apart  as 
President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints,  the  choice  being  ratified  by  a  special  conference  and 
solemn  assembly  of  the  Priesthood,  on  Sunday,  November 
10,  1901.  Hence,  for  a  few  days  more  than  seventeen  years, 
he  stood  at  the  head  of  God's  "marvelous  work  and  a  won- 
der," upon  the  earth.  His  leadership  was  characterized  by 
a  steady  growth  of  the  people  in  both  spiritual  and  temporal 
affairs.  Much  of  their  progress  was  stimulated  by  his  fore- 
thought and  consideration,  by  his  inspiration  from  the  Lord 
freely  granted  to  the  people,  and  by  his  ability  to  gather  men 
about  him  who  willingly  co-operated  with  him  for  the  ad- 
vancement and  progress  of  the  Church,  the  State  and  the 
community.  In  both  religion  and  business,  he  was-  conserva- 
tive, staunch,  firm,  and  yet  progressive — a  leader  beloved 
and  respected  by  all.  Every  Church  worker  among  his 
nearest  associates,  as  well  as  in  the  stakes  of  Zion,  and  in  the 


684  PRESIDENT  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH 

far  flung  missions  of  the  world,  fairly  loved  and  admired 
him,  and  so  did  the  members  of  the  Church. 

As  editor  of  the  Improvement  Era  and  the  Juvenile  In- 
structor, and  general  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  Schools 
and  Young  Men's  Mutual  Improvement  Associations,  he  was 
a  stimulating  power,  a  fountain  of  wisdom  to  his  associates. 
Had  he  devoted  himself  to  literary  work,  his  success  in  that 
line  would  have  been  quite-as  marked  as  in  public  discourse 
and  leadership. 

He  showed  great  tenderness  and  love  for  his  large  and 
honorable  family.  In  his  last  address  to  his  children, 
November  10,  1918,  his  heart's  dearest  sentiments  were  ex- 
pressed to  them  in  these  words :  "When  I  look  around  me, 
and  see  my  boys  and  my  girls  whom  the  Lord  has  given  to 
me, — and  I  have  succeeded,  with  His  help,  to  make  them 
tolerably  comfortable,  and  at  least  respectable  in  the  world — 
I  have  reached  the  treasure  of  my  life,  the  whole  substance 
that  makes  life  worth  living." 

He  was  ever  anxious  for  the  welfare  of  the  young  peo- 
ple, as  well  as  the  old,  and  every  good  effort  for  their  ad- 
vancement was  sanctioned  and  supported  by  him.  Even  in 
the  midst  of  the  cares,  burdens  and  anxieties  of  his  active 
life  weighing  heavily  upon  him,  he  was  never  known  to  be 
too  busy  to  give  counsel,  experience,  testimony,  helpful  ideas, 
sympathetic  consideration  to  workers  or  members  of  the 
Church  who  called  upon  him.  His  courtesy  to  all  was  pro- 
verbial. 

The  passing  of  President  Joseph  F.  Smith  marks  an 
epoch  in  the  history  of  the  Church.  He  was  the  last  of  the 
old  school  of  veteran  leaders  who  pioneered  and  founded 
our  commonwealth.  The  patience  with  which  he  bore  the 
arduous  labors  of  his  life,  fully,  bravely,  and  cheerfully,  will 
be  a  lasting  inspiration  to  all  who  knew  him.  The  story  of 
his  achievements  for  the  Church,  in  spiritual  and  temporal 


.LAST  OF  OLD  SCHOOL  OF  LEADERS     685 

affairs,  during  his  long  administration,  would  make  a  volume 
of  thrilling  interest.  His  mortal  lips  are  sealed  in  death,  but 
his  spirit  lives  forever.  Beloved  by  all,  the  noble  workman 
has  gone  to  his  rest,  having  -done  his  full  duty  for  the 
advancement  of  the  "marvelous  work  and  a  wonder"  estab- 
lished of  the  Lord,  which  must  ever  continue  upon  its  tri- 
umphant march. — Edivard  H.  Anderson,  May,  1919. 


INDEX. 


Abraham,    39. 

Adam,  39. 

Administration,  to   sick,  256. 

Advancement,     personal,     helps 

Church,  131. 
Agriculture,  434. 
Almighty,  see  God. 
Amusements,  400,  401. 
Angel,  548.' 
Anger,  268. 
Animal,  333. 
Apostle,  221,  222. 

labors  in   spirit  world,   581. 
Apostleship,    proselyting    office, 

217. 

Appetite,  300. 
Army,  conduct  of  boys  in,  531. 

message  to  boys  in,  535. 
Atonement,   120. 
Authority,  125,  170. 

all  should  e-xercise,  208. 

gives  power,  186. 

how  administered,  186. 

know  duties  of,  187. 

man's  relation  to,  56. 
Authorities,  pray  for,  279. 
Auxiliary  organizations,  179. 

place  in  Church,  479. 

relation  to  ward,  480. 

Backbiting,   330. 
Baptism,  see  Ordinances. 
Baptism,   111,   117,   118,   121. 

when  to  b.  children,  120. 
Bible,   57. 

Birth  control,  see  Children. 
Birth  control,  349,  362. 
Bishop,  225,  230,  233,  234. 
Blessing,   how   obtained,   60,   84, 
296. 

for  truth,  12. 

personal,  181,  635,  641. 
Books,  29,5,  405. 
Book  of  Mormon,  witnesses   to 

590. 

Boys,  how     achieve     greatness, 
419. 


Boys,  lesson  for,  418. 
taught  industry,  432. 

Calamity,  Lesson  in,  67. 

Calvin,  39,  500. 

Card  playing,  410,  411,  412,  413, 

415,  416. 
Chance,  408. 

Charity,  see  Poor,  see  also  Tith- 
ing. 

Charity,  294. 
Child,  see  Birth  control. 
Children,  be  true  to,  353,  398. 

condition  of  in  heaven,  569. 

consult  parents,  201. 

do  not  pledge,  373. 

duties  to  teach,  365. 

filial   affection,   393. 

how  to  give  to,  371. 

in  the  resurrection,  574. 

relation  to  parents,  342. 

responsible  for,  359. 

teach  gospel,  369. 

teach  Jesus'  death,  370. 

training  at  home,  367. 

treatment  of  familv  members, 
355. 

watch  your,  365. 

what  to  teach,  365. 

when  to  baptize,  120. 
Church,  see  Officers. 
Church,      see     Priesthood,     also 

Kingdom  of  God. 
Church  ample   for  all   organiza- 
tions, 442. 

contempt  is  heritage,  425. 

democratic  institution,  84. 

desires  to  be  known,  139. 

destiny  of,  91. 

devil  against  it,  464. 

duties  paramount,  323. 

government,  178. 

house  in  order,  477. 

how  officers  chosen,  188. 

how  vote  in,  196. 

identity  unchanged,  140. 

in  advance  of  members,  131. 


688 


INDEX 


Church,  is  kingdom  of  God,  87. 

loyal,  518. 

man  and,   131. 

message  of,  89. 

mission   to   save,  88. 

no  nationalities  in,  141,  511. 

no  neutrals  in,   142. 

no  classes  in,  141. 

not  in  politics,  519. 

not  man-made,   171. 

not  partisan,  170,  ,517. 

offers  peace,  89. 

personal    advancement    helps, 
131. 

political  parties  and,  519. 

privilege      to      be      associated 
with,  133. 

purpose  and  duty  of,  87,   191. 

what  it  stands  for,  192. 

worth  of  standing  in,  133. 
Church      Leaders,     see     Church 

Officers. 
Church  Leaders,  help  them,  223. 

be  courageous,  193. 

goodness  of,  210. 

not  self  called,  209. 

purpose  of  visits,  250. 

what  advocate,  114. 
Church    Records,    names    to    be 

in,  134. 

Church    Schools,   agriculture   in, 
435. 

object  of,  441,  485. 

value  of,  441. 
Christ,  see  also  Jesus. 
Christ  the  great  example,  22. 

his  rest,  155. 

taught  gospel  to   Adam,  39. 
Citizen,    Saint   good,   518. 
Classes,    no    classes    in    Church, 

141. 
Clubs,   no   exclusive   in    Church, 

418. 

College,    see    School,    see     Uni- 
versity. 

Columbus,  39. 
Comforter,   see  Holy  Ghost  and 

Holy  Spirit. 
Comforter,    Holy     Ghost,    Holy 

Spirit,  73. 

Commandments,  two  great,  339. 
Commencement  address,  334. 


Consecration,  299. 

Constitution,    loyalty    to,    512. 

Contention,    465. 

Cooperation,  443. 

Counsel,  200. 

Courage,    leaders      must    have, 

193. 

be    not    discouraged,    147. 
Courts,   avoid,   322. 
Covenants,  of  Latter-day  Saints 

.   132- 
Criminals,  469. 

Daughter,  education  of,  429. 
Dead,  vision   of   redemption   of, 
596. 

work  for,  593. 
Death  and  eternal  progress,  371. 

nature   of,   553. 

spiritual,   544. 
Debt,  325. 

Devil,    arrayed     against     truth, 
464. 

his  knowledge,  464. 
Difficulty,    settlement    of,    53. 
Discouragement,    147,  421. 
Disobedience,  treatment  of,  139. 
Disturbance,  Gospel  causes,  146. 
Doctrine  and   Covenants,  56. 
Doctrine,      where       to      expect 

false,   466. 
Duty,  first  to  household,  386. 

Earth,  typical  of  heaven,  26. 
Edison,    39. 

Education,   see   School. 
Education,  danger  of  false,  392. 

defined,   337. 

for  eternity,  338. 

for  women,  439. 

industrial    pursuits,    427. 

practical,  430. 

value  of  practical,  428. 
Elders,   230. 

to   proclaim   gospel,  230. 
Elohim,  85. 

Enemy,    in    God's      hands,    422, 
423. 

love  your,  421. 

our  debt  to,  423. 

prayer    for,    424. 

those   to   fear,  426. 


INDEX 


589 


Instates  of,  exaltation,  85. 
Internal,   life,    538. 

nature  of  salvation,  13. 

progress  and  death,  371. 

relations   of   family,   342. 
Eternity,    educate    for,    338. 

we  live  for,  348. 
Evidence,    revelation    and    legal, 

49. 
Evil,   not   caused   by   God,   69. 

fashions,  416. 

retreat  from,  468. 

unchastity   dominant,  386. 
Exaltation,  estates  of,  85. 
Excess,    see    Temperance,    Mod- 
eration. 
Experiments,  to  be  avoided,  337. 

Eaith,   see   Testimony. 
Faith,   122. 

be  true  to,  322. 

reality  of,  6. 
False  teachings,  464. 
Family,  341. 

basis  of  government,  203. 

eternity  of,  348. 

father  presiding  authority,  359. 

governed  by  love,  393. 

importance    of   filial    affection, 
393. 

large   f.   desirable,   352. 

mutual  treatment,  355. 

should  be  example  to,  357. 
Fashions,    349,    400,    416,-  417. 
Fast   day.   298.   306. 
Fasting,  299,  305. 
Father,   duties   of,  361. 
Father    presiding    authority    of 

family,  359. 
Female,    and      male    in    heaven, 

346. 

Final    Judgment,    and    resurrec- 
tion, 566. 

Find,    search    and,    151. 
First     Presidency,     not     always 
apostles.  216. 

relation  of  members.  219. 

when  to  organize.  214. 
Fi'rst  Principles,   116.   121. 
Flatterv,  danger  of.  392. 
Food,  spirit  needs,  262. 
Forestry,  437. 


Forgiveness,  421. 
Franklin,  39. 
Free  agency,  58. 
Freedom,  use  of,  59. 
Saints  to  exercise,  59. 
Freeze,    Mary    A.,    funeral    ser- 
vices of,  577. 

Future  life,  see  Life  Hereafter. 
Future  life,  condition  in,  ,543. 

Gambling,  407,  408.  ' 

General  authorities,    see  Church 

Leaders. 

General    authorities,      questions 
to,  223. 

temporal  support  of,  224. 
Gift  of  Holy  Ghost,  124. 
Gift  of  tongues,  251. 
Gifts  of  Spirit,  471. 
Giving,  to  children,  371. 
God,  directs  work,  64. 

an  eternal  being,  78. 

attain  blessings  of,  60. 

at  the  helm,  168. 

do  not  limit,  69. 

extent  of  power,  69. 

fatherhood   of,   37. 

fatherly  love,  498. 

Father  and   Son   distinct,  83. 

his  rest,  71. 

his  warfare,  71. 

how    to    secure    blessings    of, 
84. 

inspires  man,  75. 

man,  and,  64. 

man  in  image  of,  71. 

need  of  trust  in,  79. 

not  author  of  evil,  69. 

nothing  temporal  with,  85. 

purposes   unchangeable,   41. 

personal   knowledge    of,   64. 

right  to  rule,  66. 

Saints  to  serve,  515. 

speaks  to  honest,  65. 

Spirit    of,   73. 

strives    with    warring   nations, 
530. 

this  God's  work,  636. 

will  to  exalt  men,  66. 

warfare,  71. 

work  cannot  be  stopped,  94. 
Golden  Rule,  424. 


690 


INDEX 


Good,  foundation  in  home,  380. 
Good   Will,    Church    stands    for, 

192. 
Government,  family  at  basis  of, 

203. 

Gospel,  see  Gospel  principles. 
Principles   of    Gospel,   36. 
Gospel,    all    comprehensive,    104 

be  as  broad  as,  150. 

causes  disturbance,   146. 

designed  for  temporal,  261. 

divinity  of,  95. 

first   principles   of,   116,   121. 

greatest  thing,   392. 

is  simple,   11. 

men  not  ready   for,  450. 

message,  89. 

message   of   love,    114. 

most  important,   131. 

principles  eternal,  14. 

preached  in   spirit  world,  595. 

shield  from  terror,   109. 

should  study,  323. 

taught  to  Adam,  39. 

teach    to    children,    369. 

trumpet,  110. 

where  leads,  90. 
Gossip,   136. 
Grant,  Heber  J.,  36. 
Grant,  Rachel,  29. 
Gratitude,  328. 

Grave,  redemption  beyond,  550. 
Greatness,  truest,  358. 

Harmony,  159. 
Hate,   of  truth,  464. 

why   Church  is  hated,  425. 
Heaven,    condition    of    children 
in,  569. 

mafe  and   female   in,   346. 

no  marriage  in,  350. 

typical   of   earth,   26. 
Heal,    wounds,   331. 
High  Council,  duty  of,  226. 
High  priests,  duties  of,  225,  227. 

duties  of  quorums,  227. 
History,  295. 
Hobbies,  143. 

Holy  Ghost,  blasphemy  against. 
18. 

Holy  Spirit,   Comforter,   73. 

personage  of  spirit,  74. 


Holy    Ghost,    religion    fruit    of, 
112. 

Spirit  of  Lord,  82. 
Holy  Spirit,  see  Comforter,  Holy 
Ghost. 

nature  of  influence,  72. 
Holy,  venerate   h.   things,   355. 
!  I  ome,  see  Household. 
Home,  341. 

basis  of,  378. 

child,  and,  398. 

first  duty  to,  386. 

foundation  of  good  in,  380. 

ideal,  378. 

motherhood,      foundation    of, 
361. 

no    substitute    for,    375. 

not  mortgage,  374,  382. 

secure,  380. 

training  of  children,  367. 

worship  in,  377. 
Honest,  God  speaks  to,  65. 
Honor,   Church   stands   for,   192. 

reward  of  all,  10. 
Hopelessness,  146. 
Household,  see  Home. 
House  of  the  Lord,  see  Temple. 
House    of    the    Lord,      children 

have  rights  in,  374. 
Husband,  depends  on  wife,  363. 

duty  to  wife,  392. 

treatment  of  family,  355. 

wife  in  eternity,  392. 

Identity,  immortal,  28. 
Idler,  295. 

no  place,  296. 

Ignorance,  address  on,  427. 
Image,  man  in  God's,  71. 
Industry,  282. 

learn  arts  of,  432. 
Ingratitude,   sin    of,   339. 
Immortality,  see  Eternal. 
Immortality,  indistructible  iden- 
tity, 28. 

Immortality  of  man,  16,  27. 
Injustice,    how    avoid,    268. 
Inspires,  God  i.  man,  75. 
Inspiration,  spirit  of,  42. 
Intelligence,  eternal,  32. 
Israel,  to  nourish,  91. 

lehovah,  see  Jesus. 


INDEX 


691 


Jesus,  see  also  Christ. 
Jesus,  eternal,  39. 

first   born,  85. 

is  the  Son,  85\ 

teachers  must  believe  in,  502. 

teach  story  of  to  children,  370. 
Judgment,  use  of  judgment,  59. 

Keys  of   Priesthood,   distinction 

between   and    priesthood,    168. 
Kill,  only  for  need,  334. 
Kimball,  Jleber  C,  212. 

tribute  to,  246. 
Kindliness,  332. 
Kingdom  of  God,  see  Church. 
Kingdom  of  God,  is  Church,  87. 

to  continue,  92. 
Knowledge,  is  limited,  11. 

of  devil,  464. 

of  sin  unnecessary,  467. 

Labor,     blessings     obtained  by, 
296. 

morals  and,  430. 

unions,  521,  522. 
Language,  use  good,  333. 
Latter-day  Saints,  see  Saints. 
Latter-day  Saints,   character  of, 
163. 

are  as   leaven,  90. 

Church   in   advance   of,    131. 

conduct  of  boys  in  army,  531. 

covenants  of,  132. 

free   people,   58. 

good  citizens,  518. 

law-abiding,    114. 

loyal  to  U.  S.,  512. 

must  be  workers  and  thinkers, 
140. 

may  know  truth,  8. 

message    to    boys    in    army, 
535. 

no  cause  for  worry,   107. 

possess  spirit  of  salvation,  91. 

requirements    of,    326. 

to   serve   God,   515.     . 
Latter-day   work,      God    directs, 

64. 

Leaders,  see  Officers,  Church. 
Learning,  ever  learning,  427. 
Lesser    Priesthood,    see    Priest- 
hood. 


Lesser  Priesthood,  234, 

be  active,  233. 
Life,  333. 

Life  hereafter,  see  Future  Life. 
Life  hereafter,  540,  542. 

our  relation  to,  540. 
Life,  main  purpose  of,  338. 

not  destroy  wantonly,  333. 

the  test  of,  86. 
Light,  let  shine,   106. 
Lincoln,  39. 
Love,  gospel  message  of,  114. 

your  enemies,  421. 

govern  family  by,  393. 

one  another,  4^5. 
Loyalty  of  Church,  518. 

United  States  proud  of,  512. 
Luther,  39,  500. 

Man,  broad  as  Gospel,   150. 

cause  versus,  90. 

destiny  of,  77. 

dual  being,  337. 

eternal  spirit,  40. 

eternally  responsible,  27. 

experiences  like  God's,  78. 

God  and,  64. 

God  inspires,  75. 

God's  will  to  exalt,  66. 

greatest  achievement,  4. 

his  three  conditions,  20. 

honor  himself,  321. 

an  immortal  being,  86. 

love  one  another,  425. 

master  of  appetite,  300. 

to  be  master,  311. 

origin  and  destiny,   114. 

personal     advancement     helps 
Church,  131. 

possibilities,  83. 

respect  rights,  354. 

settlement  of  difficulties,  53. 
Male,  and  female  in  heaven,  346. 
Manual  training,  434. 
Marriage,  129,  341. 

eternal,   347. 

God-ordained,  341. 

none  in  heaven,  350. 

necessity  of,  341. 

plural  forbidden,  351. 

purpose  of,  347. 

righteousness  and,  343. 


692 


INDEX 


Marriage,    within  Church,  350. 

Master,  man  to  be,  311 
Mechanic  arts,  435. 
Melanchthon,  39,  500. 
Melcfyizedek     Priesthood,     res- 
toration of,  236. 
Members,  checks  upon,  205. 
Messiah  craze,  473. 
Ministering  angels,  548. 
.Misfortune  not  caused  by  God, 

69. 

Missionaries,  advice  to,  454. 
all  men  not  ready  for  gospel, 

450. 

care  of  returned,  462. 
caution  to,  460. 
duty  when  called,  463. 
elders  as,  230. 
guard  health,  461. 
how  called,  444. 
kind  wanted,  445. 
people  generous  to,  453. 
qualifications  of,  445,  446. 
requirements  of,  444. 
to  teach,  447. 
what  to  teach,  447. 
Word  of  Wisdom,  457. 
work  for  returned,  463. 
Mob,  danger  of,  521. 
shun  spirit  of,  b^v. 
Morals,  and  laoor,  430. 
"Mormonism,"  defined,  87. 
Mortality,  how  rise  above  weak- 
ness of,  264. 
Moderation,  300,  305. 
Mortgage,     do     not     mortgage 

home,  374,  382. 
evils  of,  384. 
Mother,  her  love,  395. 
Motherhood,   foundation   of   na- 
tion, 361. 

Mutual  Improvement  Associa- 
tions, see  Young  Men's 
'Mutual  Improvement  Associa- 
tions, see  Young  Ladies' 
Mutual  Improvement  Asso- 
ciations. 

Mutual    Improvement    Associa- 
tions, importance   of,  487. 
purpose  of,  491. 


Nationality,     none     in     Church, 

141,  511. 
Nation,  foundation  of,  361. 

God  strives  with  warring,  530. 
Neglects,   correct  our,  281. 
Neighbor,  honor  your,  321. 

how  to  love,  339. 
Nephite  apostles,  475. 
Neutrals,  none  in  Church,   142. 

Obedience,  129,  263. 

blessings   from,  272. 

to     ordinances     indispensable, 
265. 

value  of,  267. 

Occupation,     how     to     prepare 
for,  336. 

most    desirable,   429. 
Officers,  Church  see  Leaders. 
Officers,    all    necessary,    204. 

dependent    on    people,    197. 

duties  of,   190,   193. 

how   chosen,    188. 

order  of  vote   for,    197. 

Consult    parents    about    chil- 
dren, 201. 

qualities  of,  191. 

to   set   example,   195. 
One    Mighty   and   Strong,   477. 
Ordinance,    see    Baptism,    etc. 
Ordinance,    obedience    to    indis- 
pensable, 265. 

sanctity   of,    177. 
Organization,   necessity   of,    185. 

Parents,    in    eternity,    79. 

consult,    201. 

duties   of,   364. 

relation    to    children,    342. 

responsible    for   children,   359. 

of   spirits,   85. 

Partisan,    Church    not,    517. 
Patent    Medicines,  30Z 
Patriarch,   duties   of,   225. 
Patriotism,    importance    of,    517. 

true,  516. 
Peace,   key   to,   529. 

when  to  come,  525. 
People    determine    officers,    197. 
Perfection,    163. 

Persecution,    follows    revelation, 
57. 


INDEX 


693 


Persistence,   165. 
Personal   blessings,   635. 
Personal   testimonies,  635. 
Philosophers,    inspired    by    God, 

39. 

Philosophy,  48,  295. 
Plan  of  Life,  88. 
Flan    of    Salvation,    eternal    na- 
ture of,    13. 
Pleasure  hunting,  404. 
Pledge,  do  not  p.  children,  373. 

of  my  life,  639. 
Plural   marriage   forbidden,   351. 

wives  of  Joseph   Smith,  619. 
Political    Government,    503. 
Politics,    and    the    Church,    519. 

Church   not   in,   519. 
Poor,    see    Charity   and    lathing. 
Poor,  282. 

place  in  Church,  296. 

stfiould    be    tithe-payers,    289. 
Prayer,  269,  273,  274. 

blessings  follow,  281. 

for  authorities,  279. 

how  to  pray,  275. 

practical,   276. 
Preexistence,    14,    114. 
Preside,  who   fit  to    206. 
President   of    Church,    authority 
of,    219. 

all    under    his    direction,    217. 

divine   missions   of,   ^il. 

inspired,    213. 
Presiding    authority,     father    in 

family,  359. 

Presiding    Bishopric,    222. 
Presiding  officers,   authority   of, 
230. 

composition,   478. 
Priesthood,    168. 

all    officers    necessary,    204. 

all    should   exercise    authority, 
208. 

authority  of,  218. 

blessing   upon,    224. 

conferring   of,    169. 

definition  and  purpose  of,  174. 

distinction  between  keys  and, 
168. 

duty    of,    196. 

explanation   of,    181. 


Priesthood,  greater  than  its  of- 
fices,  184. 

held  alone  by  Joseph,  55. 

how    authority    administered, 
186. 

how    honor,    207. 

its  offices,  216. 

jurisdiction    of    quorums,    188. 

keys    held    by    Joseph    alone, 
55. 

keys  of,   176. 

Ljesser,    234. 

Lesser,    be    active,   233. 

many   hold,    198. 

membership   rolls,  207. 

mission  of,   174. 

mlust    be    called;    to    preside, 
217. 

nearly    all    hold,    197. 

obligations  of,  206. 

order  of,  215. 

order   of  presidency,   179. 

presiding   authority,    178. 

privileged    to    bless,    182. 

responsibilities    of    quorums, 
199. 

serious    acceptance    of,    185. 

sanctity    of    ordinances,    177. 

study    Section    107,    205. 

truth    will    unite,    195. 

use   of  titles,  203. 

vote  in,  196. 

what  it  is,  199,  173. 
Principles    of    the    Gospel,    not 

new,  36. 
Profanity,  303. 
Prohibtion,    302. 

Prosperity,    foundation    of,    443. 
Purity,    see    Unchastit\. 
Purity,    390. 

Church    stands    for,    192. 

Question,   when   to   submit,   223. 
Quorum,   see  Priesthood. 
Quorum,    responsibility    of,    199. 

Raffling,  407. 

gambling,   410. 
Reading,   295,   407. 
Recomp  :nse,    the    law    of,    468. 
Redeemer,   see   Jesus. 
Redeemer,  I  know  he  lives,  80, 
84,  642. 


694 


INDEX 


Redemption^      toeyorwi      Igrave, 
550. 

vision  of  dead,  596. 
Relief   Society,    179. 

duties  of,  482. 

duty   and   purpose   of,  484. 

object  of,  483. 

purpose  of,  482. 
Religion,   be   true   to,   322. 

fruits  of  true,  90. 

spirit   of,   152. 
Religion    Classes,    purpose    and 

duties   of,   502. 

Religious,   not   naturally,    148. 
Repentance,  123. 

change  with,   117. 

fallacy  of  death-bed,   116. 
Responsibility,      man's    eternal, 

personal,   84. 

Rest,    for    followers    of    Christ, 
155. 

God's,  71. 

Resurrected  beings  parents,  85. 
Resurrection,    29,    85,    547,    564, 
577,  584. 

condition    of    children,    569. 

final  judgment,    566. 

status  of  children,  574. 
Retreat  from  evil,  468. 
Revelation,   128. 

enjoyed   by   all,   43. 

legal   evidence    and,   49. 

modern  necessary,  45. 

new,  43. 

persecution  follows,  57. 

proper  channels  for,  50. 

theory  and   divine,  47. 

value  of,  42. 

when   expect  new,  46. 
Righteousness     and     marriage, 
343. 

will  prevail,  5. 
Rights,   respect   others',  354. 
Reward,    according    to    works, 

155. 
Rule,  God's  right  to,  66. 

Sabbath,    see    Sunday. 
Sabbath,  300,  303. 
don't   rob,    310. 


Sabbath,  keep  holy,  307. 

meaning   of,   304. 

purpose   of,   304. 

what   do   on,   304. 
Sacrament,  252. 
Saints,    see   Latter-day   Saints. 
Salvation,  see  Plan  of  salvation. 
Salvation,   538. 

spirit   of,   91. 

spiritual   and   temporal,   260. 
Saloon,  301. 
Saturday's   work,   303. 
Save,    mission    of    Church,    88. 
School,    address      to    graduates, 
334. 

need    manual    training,   432. 
Science,   48. 

defined,  6. 
Search,  151. 
Secret  societies,    135. 
Secret   organizations,    134. 
Seventy,   duties   of,  228,  229. 

how    to    replenish      quorums, 

229. 
Sick,  order  of  administration  to, 

256. 

Singing,  324. 
Sin,  degrees  of  sexual,  388. 

how    cleansed,    116. 

knowledge     of,     unnecessary, 
467. 

mpardonable,   545. 

washed  away     by  atonement, 

120. 

Smith,  Hyrum,  meaning  of  mar- 
tyrdom,  620. 
Smith,  Joseph,  39,  604. 

Joseph,    the    boy,    617. 

Joseph,    meaning    of    martyr- 
dom, 620. 

a   resource,   619. 

Joseph,  name  will  not  perish, 
605. 

Joseph,  plural  wives  of,  619. 

Joseph,      prediction     fulfilled, 
614. 

Joseph,  reality  of  first  vision 

of,  604. 

Joseph  will  reveal  himself,  52. 
Joseph  restorer,  619. 

service  of,  604. 

testimony  about,  210. 


INDEX 


695 


Smith,    Joseph     F.,     an     appre- 
ciation, 644. 

a  biographical  sketch,  666. 

editorial  on  his  death  and  life, 
683. 

reminiscences,  655. 
Snow,    Erastus,   tribute    to,   249. 
Snow,  Lorenzo,  212. 
Social  duties,  402. 
Soul,  test  of  greatness,  332. 
Spirit,  memories,   15. 

needs   food,   262. 

preexistence  of,  114. 
Spirit   of   God   vs.   Holy   Ghost, 

82. 
Spirit   world,    laDors    in,   581. 

preaching  in,  595. 
Spiritual  death,  20,  544. 
Spiritual  gifts,  251. 
Spiritual  and  temporal,  260. 
Staines,  W.  C,  29. 
Stake,  jurisdiction,  189. 
Stake    Presidents,    Counsel    to, 
225. 

duties  of,  225. 
Stake     Sunday     School     Board, 

487. 

Stephenson,  39. 
Strong   drinks,   301. 
Study  the  gospel,  323. 
Success,  defined,   152. 
Sunday,   see  Sabbath. 
Sunday,  need  of  worship,  305. 
Sunday    School,    how    to    teach, 
368. 

object  of,  485. 

principle   of  teaching,  485. 

qualification   of   teachers,    485. 

Stake  Board,  487. 

teacher  essential,  485. 

training  of  children,  367. 
Superstitions,  470,  472. 
Sympathize;,    with    unfortunate, 
294. 

Tasks,  respect  daily,  358. 

Taylor,  John,  212. 

Teach,  what,  366. 

Teacher,  dignity  of  calling,  235. 

beware  of  false,  466. 

essential    in    Sunday    School 
485. 


Teacher,  must  believe  in  Christ, 
502. 

principle    of    Sunday    School, 
485. 

qualification         for        Sunday 
School,  485. 

value  of  work,  236. 
Temperance,  300,  301,  305. 
Temple,  care  and  need  of,  594. 

ordinances   unchanged,   593. 
Temporal  death,  20. 
Temporal,   gospel   designed   for, 
261. 

and    spiritual,    260. 

nothing,  with  God,  85. 

spiritual  and,  260. 
Terror,  gospel  shield  from,  109. 
Testimony,  see  Faith. 
Testimony,    158,    636,    638,    641, 
643.    - 

how   to    acquire,    158. 

personal,  635. 

purpose  of  bearing,  258. 

use  of,  257. 
Theory,  47. 
Thinkers,       Latter-day       Saints 

must  be,  140. 

Time,  cease  to  waste,  295. 
Tithe-payers,    books      open    to, 
293 

a  Church  help,  289.    • 
Tithing,  282. 

commercialism  and,  291. 

how  used  and  accounted  -for, 
293. 

law   of  revenue,   283. 

test  a,  283. 

use  of,  291. 

why  instituted,  282. 

widow  and,  286,  289. 
Tobacco,  301. 
True  to  family,  353. 
Truth,  1. 

blessings  for,  12. 

Church  stands  for,  192. 

foundation  of  gospel,   1. 

from  God,  6. 

gospel  on  foundation  of,   112. 

how   foundation   laid,   9. 

how   may   know,   8. 

man  saved  by,  2. 

not  superseded,  3. 


696 


INDEX 


Truth,  the  fountain  of,  36,  497. 

why  hated,  464. 

will  prevail,  5. 

will  unite,   19,5. 

Twelve  anostles,  labors  in  spirit 
world,  581. 

Unchastity,    see    Purity. 
Unchastity,    danger    of,    392. 

degrees   of,  388. 

dominant  evil,  386. 

how   avoid,  2^3. 
Unfortunate,   respect,   355. 

should    sympathize    with,    294. 
Unions,   see   Labor  unions. 
United    States,    loyalty    to    Con- 
stitution,  512. 

loyalty  of  Saints,  512. 

origin  and  destiny,  512. 

Saints  loyal  to,  512. 
Unpardonable  Sin,  545. 
Untruth,  where  to  expect  it,  466. 
Utah,  guided  to,  515. 

possibilities   of,   630. 

Venerate,  355. 

Violence,  shun  spirit  of,  520. 
Virtue,   Church   stands   for,    192. 
Vision,      redemption     of     dead, 

596. 
V'tality    and    patent    medicines, 

302. 
Vote,   how   in   Church,    196. 

order  of,  197.  * 

Vulgarity,  303. 

War,  attitude   towards,  524. 

cause  of,  523. 

conduct  o7  boys  in,  531. 

God  strives  with  nations,  530. 

message  to  boys  in,  535. 
Ward,   relation   to   auxiliary   or- 
ganizations.  480. 

jurisdiction,   189. 
Warfare,  God's,  71. 
Washington,  39,  500. 
Waste,   295. 
Watts,  39. 


Weakness,  how  rise  above,  264. 
Y\  ealth,  144. 
West,  guided  to,  515. 
Wicked,    keep   from,   426. 
Wife,   and    husband    in   eternity, 
392. 

be  true  to,  353. 

determines    husband,   363. 

treatment  of  family  members, 

355. 

Wisdom    in    everything,    305. 
Witchcraft,  470,  472. 
Woodruff,  Wilford,  212. 
Women,     practical     preparation 

of,  439. 
Word  of  Wisdom,  305. 

missionaries   and,   457. 
Work  of  Lord  will  grow,  92. 
Workers,       Latter-day       Sain  is 

must  be,   140. 

World,  not  love   Church,  425. 
Worry,  no  cause   for,   1'07. 
Wounds,  not  inflict,  331. 

Young,  Brigham,  211. 

testimony  to,  628. 
Young      Ladies'      Mutual      Im- 
provement Associations,' see 
Mutual      Improvement       As- 
sociations   see    Young    Men's 
•     Mutual   Improvement   Asso- 
ciations. 

Young      Ladies'       Mutual      Im- 
provement Association,   179. 
order   of   presiding,    180. 
Young.  Men's   Mutual   Imorove- 
ment        Associations,        sec 
Mutual      Improvement      As- 
sociations see    Young  Ladies' 
Mutual    Improvement'    Asso- 
ciations. 

Young   Men's   Mutual   Improve- 
ment   Association,    179. 
field  of,  488. 

order    of   presiding,    180. 
Youth,  address  to,  334. 

look  forward,  400. 
Zion,  no  place  for  idlers,  296. 
to   remain,  92. 


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